Rick Ross once took the Verzuz stage to compete against 2 Chainz, but he recently revealed that he would love the opportunity to go head-to-head with someone else. During a recent interview with the cohosts of “The Real,” when asked to name the competitors of his ideal Verzuz, the Maybach Music CEO mentioned Brooklyn’s own JAY-Z.

“Why not?” he asked the doubters before explaining his reasoning. “To me, that’s what makes Verzuz special because it brings out the best in both parties.”

Following the sole mention of JAY’s name, Loni Love sought to clarify whether he would be the person facing Hov in the hypothetical battle. “So you and JAY-Z?” she asked Ross, to which the rapper provided a hopeful response.

“Oh, that’s a possibility, but I gotta give my flowers to the big homie,” he said. “I got to. My homie gave me my first opportunity signing me to Def Jam Records, and he’s one-of-one.”

As Ross mentioned, Hov signed him to Def Jam in 2006 back when he was president/CEO of the record label. His belief in the Teflon Don emcee was reportedly displayed beyond the label’s offices. According to former NBA star Jamal Crawford, JAY introduced him to Ross’ music.

“JAY-Z, I remember we went to eat after a game, and he was playing Rick Ross … ‘Everyday I’m Hustlin,’” he explained. “And JAY was mesmerized by the song. He was like, ‘Whip it, whip it real hard!’ He kept saying that part, he loved it. And that was my introduction to Rick Ross, through JAY-Z. Ross has never heard that story.”

The “Aston Martin Music” rapper, who faced off with 2 Chainz in August 2020, is not the only person interested in a second Verzuz matchup. Alicia Keys, who once battled John Legend, recently revealed she would be down to go against either Beyoncé or Rihanna.

See Rick Ross’ interview on “The Real” below.