Verzuz staged another very New York battle last night, pitting turn-of-the-century city icons Fat Joe and Ja Rule against each other in the heart of the city, at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater.
Fat Joe and Ja Rule hit the stage at Madison Square Garden for Verzuz, the epic music battles created by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The hip-hop legends went 20 rounds, playing their hit songs like Ja Rule’s “Between Me and You” and “Livin’ It Up” and Fat Joe’s “All the Way Up” and “All I Do Is Win (Remix).”
The friends and collaborators joked with each other between songs, with Joe teasing Ja Rule about his involvement in the Frye Festival a few years back.
Ashanti, Remy Ma, Lil Mo, and Vita all made appearances.
Jadakiss also surprised the audience by hitting the stage to perform “New York” with the MC’s, as well as Nelly who performed “Hot in Here.”
Despite the occasional barbs, Joe and Ja Rule expressed love and admiration for each other, making it one of the most friendly “battles” yet.
The R&B superstar returned after her long-delayed battle against Keyshia Cole to perform with both Joe and Ja, guesting on both Ja Rule’s “Mesmerize” and Fat Joe’s “What’s Love,” also alongside Ja. (Joe gifted Ashanti, along with Remy Ma, a Hermès handbag after her appearance, which we’d say is a pretty fair payment for multiple songs of stunning live vocals.)
The performance ended in a fittingly New York moment, with Joe and Ja coming together to perform their song “New York” alongside Jadakiss, who’d already stolen the show a few weeks before, leading the Lox in their own New York standoff against Dipset. Not that Joe and Ja were looking to declare winners, anyway. “I love this n- – – – like my brother,” Ja Rule said of Joe at the end of the battle. That’s love, we’d say.
