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VERZUZ just might have to retool things going forward with their live show format after a heated contest between Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia turned suddenly violent. An exchange of words between Bizzy Bone and Juicy J halted the production, but the show did eventually go on.
The event took place at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, Calif Thursday night (Dec. 2) and was expected to be a night packed with hits between the two veteran Hip-Hop groups. There was also a bit of history of friction between the groups dating back to the 1990s when they first found their footing as underground stalwarts who shared a similar sonic bent, but it never escalated to the degree most saw on Thursday.
Bizzy expressed some profanity-laced thoughts towards Juicy J, Gansta Boo, DJ Paul, and Crunchy Black, telling them, “Yo. Before we even get started you ugly motherf*ckers ain’t finna to be mocking me while I’m on motherf*ckin’ stage, like straight the f*ck up.”
Juicy J fired back with a quick “suck my d*ck” jab, prompting Bizzy to toss a bottle of water at him. From there, all hell broke loose and there was mayhem on the stage before security staff and their crews split everyone apart while things cooled off.
Bizzy eventually returned to the stage to apologize and the show went on as planned, but the damage was done image-wise by the fracas, with some online wondering if the VERZUZ brand needs to approach these events from a different angle. As founders Swizz Beatz and Timbaland noted, VERZUZ isn’t a traditional battle born of ill intentions but is a celebration of legends in the game for their musical contributions.
Fans also praised Layzie Bone for keeping the peace and remaining calm, and there was a beautiful moment of reconciliation between Bizzy Bone and Juicy J that deserves recognition. If the chatter online is any indication, the final VERZUZ of the year was one of the best in the series.
On Twitter, reaction to the VERZUZ battle between Bone Thugs-n-Harmony naturally cropped up and we’ve got those reactions below.
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Photo: Getty