Swizz Beatz and Timbaland are joining forces with Elon Musk to bring Verzuz to X (Twitter), in an exclusive distribution partnership.
The future of the virtual battle series appeared in the balance after a legal dispute with Triller, who acquired the platform in 2021. However, the super producers sued the platform in 2022, resulting in a $28 million settlement.
After teasing “Verzuz 3.0” during an interview with AllHipHop.com earlier this year, Swizz and Timbo are ready to unveil the next phase of the platform.
Swizz and Timbaland will maintain full ownership and creative control in a “mutually beneficial” deal, granting exclusive distribution rights to Musk’s platform with its 550 million active users.
In a statement, Swizz Beatz said he and Timbaland “are beyond thrilled to have found the best partner for Verzuz.” Together, they intend to “help X build the biggest entertainment company in the world.”
Timbo added, “Our goal has always been to bring Verzuz to the world which we can now do bigger than ever.”
The new business partners linked up in Cannes, where Elon Musk is attending the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The billionaire tech mogul is reportedly trying to win back advertisers after many withdrew their support following a series of controversies, including Musk’s enthusiastic response to an antisemitic tweet in November 2023.
Elon Musk Addresses Past Controversial Remarks
Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s Verzuz announcement arrived as Elon Musk faced fresh controversy for amplifying problematic posts on X. Users accused Musk of racism after he seemingly supported a post that falsely compared the rates at which Black Americans murder their white counterparts.
Musk was asked whether he regrets any of his past comments on X during a discussion at Cannes Lions.
“I do shoot myself in the foot from time to time,” Musk admitted, per Deadline. “But at least you know it’s genuine, not some sort of PR. If you speak freely, there’ll be times when you are foolish, of course, but if you’re constantly going through a filter, you’re not real, so I guess it’s better to be real than go through a filter.”