Today (May 25) was truly “Something For The Ladies” as fans took their Memorial Day madness up a notch in the latest edition of Verzuz between R&B groups Jagged Edge and 112, who took us back into the good ole days that surely made Jermaine Dupri and Diddy proud. In this head-to-head battle, each legendary group had the chance to perform their greatest hits to an audience of hundreds of thousands of virtual viewers including Eric Bellinger, Kyla Pratt, Ja Rule, Keri Hilson, Da Brat, Tyrese, Ludacris, Storm Reid, Diddy and more; while successfully putting us all into our emotional and boo’d up bag. As they gear up to release new music, the two singing acts clearly didn’t disappoint when traveling down their resume of classic hits. Here are the biggest takeaways from the face-off:
112 Is Now A Duo, People
Though Daron and Q Parker revealed their inability to perform during this Verzuz, the remaining members of 112 kept it together. Despite the playful shade thrown their way, Mike and Slim, self-deemed as “Ciroc Boys,” held their own in their first song choice, “It’s Over Now.” The two also announced their upcoming single, “Spend It All,” which comes out on June 5.
“Wednesday Lover” On A Monday
Bottles of rose were on deck for Jagged Edge’s entrance to “Heartbreak.’’ Their introduction song was the perfect way to kick off tonight’s throwback session, but fans could not contain themselves when they dropped their hit “Wednesday Lover.” Even 112 joined in on a bit of a jig for their undeniable tune. They were in total control of their audience from that point forward and the vibe had no choice but to follow their command.
Strictly For The Ladies
Jagged Edge’s “Promise” and 112’s “U Already Know” had the ladies going crazy in the comments section, but they didn’t stop there. As promised in the title of this Verzuz battle, tonight was especially for the women out there. “I Gotta Be” was shortly followed by “Anywhere,” as 112 threw up their Ciroc bottles reppin’ Bad Boy proudly, which sent the vibes into the sexy section as Sevyn Streeter commented, “*throws bra on stage*.”
Once Jagged Edge wrapped up their soulful and sweet “Walked Outta Heaven,” comments went crazy by dubbing the group as the conqueror of slow jams. However, it wasn’t too long before 112 matched their fly with their hit “Cupid.” Jagged Edge and 112 tossed their collaboration discography back and forth between one another with other bops like “All Cried Out” and “Put A Little Umph In It,” and fans loved every minute of it.
Keith Sweat and JD’s Surprise Appearance
Lala Anthony, Papoose, Troy Ave and more were taken aback once Keith Sweat entered 112’s studio and graced the Verzuz screen. As he introduced one of his 112 faves, “Player,” both opposing groups couldn’t help but sway, and sing along soulfully with one another. There was such a high demand that 112 just had to play “Player” once again as Swizz Beatz, Raven Symone and Timbaland raised virtual champagne glasses and shots in the comments.
Jermaine Dupri popped his head into Jagged Edge’s screen time toward the end of the Live session, but he was playing zero games with the six-feet-apart rule according to the mask he had on his face.
R.I.P To Prodigy, Notorious B.I.G. and Andre Harrell
As “Hey Luv” featuring Mobb Deep blessed our ears, 112 made it a note to pay homage to the fallen Prodigy. Of course, while paying respects to one rap legend, it would only be right to bring it back to an old favorite collaboration, “Nasty Girl,” by Notorious B.I.G. Still riding the Bad Boy train, 112 took it back to their collaborations with Brooklyn’s finest, which included “Sky’s The Limit” and “Missing You.”
As the virtual concert came to a close, 112 raised their Grammy award as their collaboration with Diddy and Faith Evans, “I’ll Be Missing You,” played out to pay their respects to recently deceased Uptown Records founder and REVOLT Media & TV Vice Chairman Andre Harrell.
Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming
It’s funny how the world works — or at least technology — because not too long after paying respects to fallen greats, there were glitches in Jagged Edge’s sound as well, which caused an uproar of complaints in the comments section. Due to technical difficulties, the Live session had to end after nearly fifty minutes of head-to-head battling for this week’s Verzuz. After a few short minutes, we were back to regularly scheduled programming, but there were still a bit of static and sound issues – so much so that even Keri Hilson suggested to “take the live away from the speakers” and Jasmine “Golden Barbie” Sanders concurred.
Report To The Dance Floor
From seductive slow jams, 112 “statically” but seamlessly transitioned into another Bad Boy classic, “Dance With Me,” which gave that dance floor feel to the audience. Jagged Edge’s response was Nivea’s smash single “Don’t Mess With My Man” and that got the attention of Stevie J, Missy Elliott and Francia Raisa, who started lit to it. 112 had the perfect comeback in “Only You” featuring Notorious B.I.G. This even had Jagged Edge bobbing their heads.
However, it didn’t take long before they brought out the big guns with “Let’s Get Married,” a song that had everyone belting out in their bathroom mirrors and cars with the tops down.
Brotherly Love
Throughout the entire night, there was nothing less than positive energy between the legendary R&B groups. Despite static, muted microphones and friendly digs, the men kept it at a brotherly love level, while occasionally praising one another for their accomplishments throughout the years as successful groups in the R&B space. No rivalry formed against them through Instagram shall prosper!
Drinks by Ciroc
The festivities wouldn’t have been so much fun if it wasn’t for REVOLT’s own Sean “Diddy” Combs supplying both groups with Ciroc to help bring in the party vibes. That’s Bad Boy, baby.
Relive 112 and Jagged Edge’s Verzuz with Tidal’s playlist below.