Jermaine Dupri expressed why the hypothetical Verzuz match between himself and music mogul Diddy could never really happen. As both men have excelled in Hip-Hop in front and behind the mic, the competition among the two camps seems to be a fair matchup however the Atlanta-bred producer believes his Harlem-born peer does not have enough acts on his side.
As a guest on the Rory And Mal podcast, JD shared his belief that the musical showdown is unlikely due to Diddy’s lack of performers due to various circumstances.
“I feel like it’s a performance-based thing now, and the majority of Puff’s records…who’s gonna perform?” he remarked. “[You can bring out] The LOX, but you can’t have nobody do Big’s verses, and I don’t know that Ma$e would come out with him no more. So I don’t think that it would happen based on that.”
The So So Def founder continued to explain how he and the artists he has worked with would be ready to put on a show.
“All my people, we rockin’!” he exclaimed. “And we comin’ with a whole lot of energy!”
Conversations about potential Verzuz matchups have existed since the platform became popular. Diddy and Jermaine Dupri have always been named as potential contenders by fans of the live-broadcasted series. Official comments from both came last September when Diddy declined Dupri’s challenge, wanting to take on another Hip-Hop producer instead.
Somebody let @Diddy know I’m @thegarden right now ! And he gon need some training for me pic.twitter.com/dZhl9x36ix
— Jermaine Dupri (@jermainedupri) September 15, 2021
“Beloved you my n*gga but your arms too short to box with God!! You ain’t got enough hits,” Diddy responded to the public call-out. “I’ll smash you with just biggie n Mary. But I do have the upmost [sic] respect on you as a musical legend. Dre the only one can get in the ring w me.”
View the Rory And Mal podcast featuring Jermaine Dupri below.