A New Verzuz Documentary In The Works

Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, and Lena Waithe are in the process of producing ‘Gifted & Black’ which will document the trajectory of VERZUZ — the popular music battle series of the pandemic.

The battles started at the height of the pandemic in 2020 between Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. While in-person social gatherings plausibly seemed like death wishes, the Instagram livestreams became everyone’s solution to the limitations of lockdown. Soon enough, artists like Brandy, RZA, Babyface and more took to the virtual stage to throw their greatest hits at their opponents. From one livestream came full-throttle productions with cheat sheets on music platforms like Apple Music.

As covid and civil injustices rattled the nation, the Verzuz series provided opportunities for community restoration through music. According to Deadline, Waithe has explained that “Verzuz is more than two artists going song-for-song. It’s the joyful celebration of legacy that we all needed.” Verzuz brought millions of people together and on that premise, it arguably warrants documentation.

However a number of people have voiced their objections against the documentary. After all, Verzuz was supposed to be an organic solution to the cabin fever that many people experienced during lockdown. Now, setups have become filled with advertisements and viewers almost had to set up a Triller subscription plan to watch future scrimmages. With a documentary underway, Verzuz’s magic is consequently gone for many viewers, rightfully so.

The documentary will be available on Prime Video. Release date is currently unknown.