The Lox, Dipset go head to head in fiery NY Verzuz battle

The Lox's Jadakiss is now the only Verzuz competitor to have battled as a solo artist and group member.

In what is shaping up to be one of the biggest and most acclaimed Verzuz battles of the competition, Harlem’s Dipset and The Lox of Yonkers took over Madison Square Garden for the largest in-person song contest yet. 

Inside the arena, in the smaller Hulu Theater, the New York rap titans came together to compete Tuesday, and the battle is still trending on social media the next morning. 

The Lox and Dipset, theGrio.com
Was Tuesday night’s Verzuz a song battle between The Lox (left) and Dipset (right) or a non-stop reminder why Jadakiss is the man on the mic? Depends on who you ask. (Photos: Getty Images)

Content creator Rob Hodge wrote “Jadakiss smoked Fab and Dipset by himself… Now ya’ll understand why Kiss is Top 5 dead or alive.” 

The Lox rhymer Jadakiss is now the only Verzuz competitor to have competed as a solo artist and a member of a group. 

“jadakiss went through two different #verzuz and ran each one, solo and with a crew. it’s proper time we rewrite the books on how gotdamn special he is at this rapping/performing/entertainment thing,” one fan wrote

In his first Verzuz appearance against Fabolous last June, Jadakiss showed up highly spirited, appearing tipsy on stage, where the two rappers were among the first to be in a studio together during the battle series launched amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic. 

But, aside his fellow Lox compatriots last night, the 46-year-old rapper looked lucid, healthy and ready for war. They put a hurting on Dipset, and it was one for the record books, many fans claim.

http://twitter.com/THEkarliehustle/status/1422754335612706824

One fan wrote, “Dipset came prepared for a mid pandemic 2020 #VERZUZ and Lox came to perform at The Garden.” 

Another opined: “JUST IN: A Warrant has been issued out for The Lox for questioning regarding the Dipset Assassination at Madison Square Garden.” 

Dipset leader Cam’ron was even briefly booed on stage during the performance.

“Yo MSG boo’in Cam’s Freestyle? That’s CRAZY,” cultural commentator and rapper Rob Markman wrote on Twitter. He also added that the event was the “Greatest VERZUZ EVER.” 

One writer shared that “The Dips were running on individual energy. The Lox were running off group energy. Sheek got his shine, Styles got his shine, and Jada lead the charge.” 

The blowout was unexpected. 

The official Verzuz Twitter page summed up the event in two words: “EPIC night.” The tweet featured two emojis, one of the Statue of Liberty and one of a flame. 

Verzuz took home an NAACP Award this year for Outstanding Variety-Series or Special. The platform began as at-home Instagram Live streams of artists discussing their music to comfort fans during the pandemic.

In an interview with ABC News, Swizz Beatz, one of the co-founders of the battle series next to Timbaland, commented on “the Verzuz effect” that has thus far resulted in renewed streaming numbers and touring opportunities for competing artists. He said when the battles were founded, “The people won, the culture won, music won.”

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