Last night’s Verzuz battle was indeed epic, combining legendary bands The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire with a clearly overjoyed Steve Harvey playing host.
But some Twitter users blasted Harvey for his non-stop storytelling.
“20 songs from Earth Wind and Fire,” one user summarized. “20 songs from The Isley Brothers. 20 stories from Steve Harvey.”
Writer Shanelle Genai observed how users on the platform were noticeably tired of his chatter.
Comedians Affion Crocket, Spice Adams and Godfrey portrayed EWF’s Verdine White, The Isleys’ Ron Isley and Harvey, with Godfrey going off on long tangents that have been reposted all over Twitter.
“Steve Harvey is basically stanning out in front of his favorite artists and we’re just the audience,” journalist Ernest Owens wrote. “And shout-out to Ron Isley for shutting him up on trashing talking the youth.”
Before the event, Harvey must have been inspired by being tapped to host the memorable moment. He tweeted: “Go harder. You can accomplish everything you put on your vision board.”
Social media users observed that Harvey was a little less prolific during the second half of the event and sat back to enjoy the historic night like a fan.
The matchup of Earth, Wind & Fire versus The Isley Brothers was announced when Verzuz creators Swizz Beatz and Timbaland shared that the popular social media sensation had been acquired by the Triller platform, and all artists who had previously taken part would be offered equity.
“This is a momentous occasion not only for Verzuz and Triller but the music business as a whole,” Swizz Beatz and Timbaland said in a joint statement at the time. “By putting Verzuz in the Triller Network ecosystem and expanding the Verzuz brand to be side by side with the powerful Triller app, we will be able to continue to grow and evolve the music business as a whole, as we have been doing.”
“To have partners in Triller who share our vision, specifically to celebrate and elevate the amazing artists who continue to shape culture around the world and give the consumer more direct access,” said the duo, “is game changing.”
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