Erykah Badu and Jill Scott’s Instagram “Battle” Had Fans Shook

Erykah Badu and Jill Scotts Instagram Battle Had Fans Shook
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Last night, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott participated in an “Instagram battle”
on a Verzuz live stream, which gained over 700,000 viewers at its height. The three-hour session was the first battle between two women on the page: the two R&B singers took turns playing their sets of songs, which included their own hits as well as songs that they have written.

Verzuz, which is run by the music producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, began the Instagram battles around two months ago, as an ongoing series to entertain users while they self-isolate at home. So far, the page has hosted battles between rappers T-Pain and Lil Jon, singers Teddy Riley and Babyface, and producers Scott Storch and Mannie Fresh, among others. But Scott and Badu’s battle—which lasted almost 20 rounds of songs—was entirely different, in that it was less of a traditional “battle” and more of a collaboration—it simply felt like two friends trading songs and vibing off of each other, versus competing.

“That wasn’t Jill VS Erykah, that was Jill & Erykah,” wrote one Twitter user of the uplifting stream. “They tore down the “battle” model and held space for love, affirmation, and sisterhood,” wrote another user. “We could all learn from tonight.”

Erykah Badu And Jill Scott Will Battle It Out On 'Verzuz'

Among the 700,000 viewers who tuned in to watch the doubled-up performance last night was a number of celebrities, too. They greatly admired the spirit of love and respect between the two artists as well. “The joy of blackness was deeply felt today and I needed that light, that love, that community the way only we do it,” wrote Ava DuVernay on Twitter. “Blessings and beauty to the Queens Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. The harmony, hope and humanity you shared tonight was simply exquisite.” At one point, Michelle Obama even tuned in and left comments on the stream as well, requesting Badu’s hit “Green Eyes” and tagging her husband, Barack Obama, to join into the Live.