Hip-hop superproducers Swizz Beatz and Just Blaze staged an impromptu, energetic head-to-head battle of the beats that had fans and superstars alike tuned in via live social media accounts, watching and listening in awe.
Rap luminaries from DJ Khaled to Puff Daddy to Timbaland joined in online while Hot 97’s Ebro was one of several holding down cameraman duties. Busta Rhymes and Cassidy also were on hand to witness this musical soundclash in person.
The two producer/DJs talked a bit of smack during the friendly competition, each unleashing a bevy of their hits, lesser-known bangers and, most notably, at the end of Swizz’s run, an unreleased collaboration featuring Nas, Jay-Z, Jadakiss and DMX.
For two hours the two hip-hop heavyweights went back and forth spinning tracks, live-chopping beats and taking viewers down memory lane, reminding everyone listening just how much these two musical juggernauts have laid down the soundtrack to hip-hop music over the last 20 years.
Though this one was largely unplanned, there is already clamoring for similar showdowns, with Pharrell and Timbaland being the most requested — and perhaps most obvious — choice.