Iranian American entrepreneur Sarnevesht clearly recalls his first hangouts with Swizz at the height of last year’s nationwide racial justice protests. “Was it the biggest piece? No, but it was a little piece when all these other companies ain’t giving no pieces.” “Me and Tim wanted to give the artists a little piece of the pie,” says Swizz. “What we do is put you right in front of everybody.” And the Verzuz founders have done that for their artists in another monumental way: They’ve given all 46 artists who participated (preceding the Triller deal) a portion of their equity stake. “The Verzuz effect was a great promotion tool for them to take things to the next level,” says Swizz.
In the week following their Verzuz appearance, R&B artists Keyshia Cole and Ashanti scored more sales, downloads and over 23 million combined streams.
“It allows these legacy artists to do other things.” Since their April appearance with soul legends Earth, Wind & Fire, The Isley Brothers have gone on to tour, explore NFTs and a “docu-concert,” and release a single with Snoop Dogg. “ Verzuz is a platform of celebration and love, and it makes people remember,” says Tim. Verzuz has become a crucial platform for legacy acts, ensuring they get their flowers - both financial and cultural - while they’re still active. Timbaland photographed on July 22, 2021 in Miami. on-demand catalog streams, according to MRC Data, a 248% gain from the three days leading up to the stream. Within 72 hours, the two scored a combined 21.9 million U.S. Reflecting on their wins as executives, the pair repeatedly return to one lasting achievement: the career boosts artists experience following their Verzuz appearances, known as “the Verzuz effect.” Take last August’s face-off between Brandy and Monica, who gracefully delivered some of the most notable songs from their catalogs 23 years after their chart-topping duet, “The Boy Is Mine.” The episode attracted 1.2 million viewers on Instagram Live alone - the equivalent of filling Madison Square Garden 57 times - making it the second most-streamed IG Live event of 2020. But as is usually the case for the two these days, those were largely business meetings: signing their contract with Triller a Peloton- Verzuz commercial shoot their own Verzuz rematch (their first battle kicked off the entire series) - and, naturally, a boat hangout with Busta Rhymes and Pharrell Williams. “We’ve only seen each other times since Verzuz started,” says Swizz. “Daddy daycare Mondays,” jokes the father of five. Today, Tim has his phone propped up in a recording studio, and Swizz wears a simple T-shirt and hat. Before becoming business partners, they were friends and competitors Verzuz was born out of their own good-natured onstage battles. Speaking today from their respective home bases - Swizz in San Diego, Tim across the country in Miami - the two founders look more like the behind-the-scenes creatives they started out as than high-powered media executives. Swizz Beatz photographed on July 23, 2021 at Signature Sound Studios in San Diego. “ Verzuz is not just for the pandemic,” says Swizz. In March, Verzuz was acquired by the Triller Network for an undisclosed sum, and Triller co-owner Bobby Sarnevesht confirms that come the fourth quarter, it plans to take the company public. Swizz says that allows Verzuz to pay artists “at least” what they would make from doing a traditional show - and in the process help redefine how legacy acts can build wealth. It also has become a thriving business, attracting brand sponsorships, including a multimillion-dollar deal with Diageo, parent company of Cîroc.
#The lox hat verzuz series#
Since its inception in March 2020, the battle series created by multihyphenates Swizz Beatz and Timbaland has become a cultural staple, highlighting the impact of Black artists. Over 3 million viewers tuned in across Instagram, Fite TV and Triller to watch the two face off in front of a live audience - the latest sign that as fans return to in-person concerts, Verzuz isn’t going anywhere. And yet still, the pandemic’s top virtual entertainment series made headlines when, on June 26, Soulja Boy and Bow Wow went head-to-head in a Verzuz battle. Restaurant patios overflowed nightclub lines wrapped around the block festival and tour announcements flooded social media. In late June, as the temperature warmed and COVID-19 vaccination rates rose, a sense of normalcy started to return to the world. This story spotlights the executives of the year of Billboard ‘s 2021 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players list.