Teddy Riley and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds reset their digital music battle for Monday night after the first one ended terribly. The much-anticipated “Verzuz” battle between the award-winning producers was a must-see event until it fizzled.
More than 400,000 people tuned in to watch the live stream on Instagram Saturday night, before it ended over audio issues.
The “No Diggity” producer came with a live band, while the “Whip Appeal” singer performed solo from his at-home studio.
But sound issues made it nearly impossible to hear, particularly on Riley’s end. The technical difficulties were so bad that they were forced to pull the plug on the show after just three songs.
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At one point, Riley’s team asked social media users to log off and come back. However, the problems were never resolved leaving many fans annoyed, including other famous musicians under quarantine.
Singer Toni Braxton, a frequent collaborator with Edmonds, tweeted: “Y’all gonna have to let me know when my song come on cause this is cringe.”
Y’all gonna have to let me know when my song come on cause this is cringe pic.twitter.com/dgnOnwpwpA
— Toni Braxton (@tonibraxton) April 19, 2020
Comedian Robin Thede joined in on the fun tweeting, “We all got a show, just not the one we thought we’d get.”
https://twitter.com/robinthede/status/1251906734257393667
Edmonds, 62, admitted he was disappointed and made a promise to the fans. “Tonight, was really special,” he said in an Instagram video. “It’s only right that we postpone this thing and do it at a time when there aren’t any technical difficulties, and everybody can hear the music the way it needs to be heard.”
Riley, 52, who seemed to be prepared to give a concert, also promised they would fix the problems and come back another day.
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“It’s just like a boxing match, when something goes wrong, we have to do it again,” Riley said.
The battle had initially been set for April 12, but was postponed after Edmonds was diagnosed with COVID-19. The rematch is scheduled for tonight at 8 p.m. ET/5p.m. PT
The Rematch: Monday 8 pm EST/ 5 pm PST pic.twitter.com/nnHiJasmB4
— Babyface (@KennyEdmonds) April 19, 2020
The “Verzuz” digital battles have been organized by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland amid the coronavirus shutdowns. The battle between Edmonds and Riley followed matchups between The-Dream and Sean Garrett, T-Pain and Lil Jon, and others.
