Swizz Beatz And Timbaland's 'Verzuz' Partnership With Elon Musk Slammed Because Elon Don't 'Like Black People'
Elon Musk sparked controversy suggesting on "The Don Lemon Show" that the country should move past its racist history, claiming "we are all descendants of slaves" before being corrected by Lemon three months ago.
In a tense exchange, Musk not only criticized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies but also defended allowing hate speech on X, the rebranded Twitter platform, leading to escalating tension with Lemon. Despite Lemon's recent partnership with X, the deal was abruptly terminated following the March interview, 'NBC News' reports.
Now, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have struck a new agreement with the tech mogul, a decision that is causing significant scrutiny and surprise.
The renowned music producers revealed that their popular online series "Verzuz," known for its iconic music battles during the Covid-19 pandemic, is making a comeback with a significant boost through an exclusive distribution partnership with X.
Earlier this year, the duo regained full ownership and full creative control of the platform from former partner Triller after a hiatus of two years. With the X distribution deal, "Verzuz" anticipates expanding its viewer base to over 550 million people worldwide and tapping into new international markets.
However, devoted fans of "Verzuz," originally conceived as an experiment during the pandemic, are criticizing Beatz, 45, and Timbaland, 52, for seeming out of touch by collaborating with someone widely accused of racism.
The pair made the announcement at the Cannes Lions conference in France on Wednesday, marking the occasion by sharing a photo on X where they toasted with the world's wealthiest individual.
"It's official, Verzuz is back and 100% Black owned again. Let's give the people what's been missing !!! We will also be building new entertainment businesses on the @X platform !! Who should be the 1st kick off show? Lets Go!!," the post read.
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Despite the exciting development, the collaboration with the divisive tech titan is stirring up considerable controversy online. The timing of the announcement, coinciding with Juneteenth, has exacerbated the backlash.
"Yall did bad. For the community, for the brand, for yourselves. This is wack," said one Twitter user. "Elon don't even like black ppl frfr why would you get him involved," tweeted another fan. "Word up! They spit in the face of the culture on Juneteenth Announceming [sp] their new aparthate master," another outraged commenter added.
Swizz Beatz, real name Kasseem Daoud Dean, pointed out the irony with a tweet saying, "But you're on X," accompanied by the laugh-cry emoji.
