While fans are still talking about Nelly and Ludacris’ Verzuz showdown on Saturday (May 17), many have turned to hypothetical match-ups that could go down in the coming weeks. One of the latest fan-pairings is between Keyshia Cole and Ashanti. Cole recently edged the fan-hype further along by commenting on an Instagram photo comparing her and Ashanti’s hits.
“My fans sent me this [Timbaland], [Swizz Beatz], [Ashanti]. Is this accurate?” Cole commented on the post, according to The Shade Room. She also tagged the official Verzuz Instagram account.
Cole and Ashanti last collaborated together on the 2012 song, “Woman To Woman.” The songstresses have comparable discographies, with both of them starting out their careers in the early 2000s.
Ashanti’s breakout hits “What’s Luv?” with Fat Joe and “Always On Time” with Ja Rule became the two biggest singles of 2002. She also became the first woman to have two singles at No. 1 and No. 2 — “Foolish” and “What’s Luv?” — on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at the same time.
Cole, on the other hand, released her platinum-certified debut album The Way It Is in 2005, which spawned hits like “Never,” “I Changed My Mind,” “(I Just Want It) To Be Over,” “I Should Have Cheated” and “Love.” Her sophomore effort Just Like You debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards.
A battle between Ashanti and Cole was first brainstormed by Fat Joe. Joining him on Instagram Live, Ashanti previously approved of the idea.
“Ashanti, Keyshia Cole,” Joe suggested during their conversation.
“Listen, if they want to see it, I ain’t mad,” the “Foolish” singer responded.
Verzuz co-founders Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have also toyed around with the idea, naming Ashanti and Cole during their post-Nelly and Ludacris Verzuz chat. They’ve also thrown Eminem, Fat Joe, 112, Jagged Edge, Nas and LL Cool J into the hypothetical ring.