While you were dusting off your crisp forces and fitted caps for the living room, Ludacris and Nelly were preparing for the possibility that their Verzuz battle might not happen.
Technical difficulties forced the pair to consider rescheduling the anticipated event that happened last Saturday. “I was so excited that I just did not want to have to postpone it,” Ludacris told V-103’s Big Tigger.
He waited out the connection issues patiently so they could engage in celebrating one another’s work for the fans.
“It would’ve killed me if we had to stop that…cause I was so amped up and I was so hyped and I was just so happy to be in that opportunity, and it was, like, we got everybody here, let’s give them what they came to see,” he continued.
Part of the reason the “Southern Hospitality” rapper was so excited was his great respect for Nelly. The Verzuz battle series has become a space for music greats to laud one another’s accomplishments.
Chart-topping might be a competitive sport but as Erykah Badu and Jill Scott showed during their segment there’s room for love in the arena.
“I loved the opportunity for the both of us to give each other the compliments that we’ve always wanted to on a world stage,” said Ludacris.
“Cause I was just telling somebody not too long ago, in the world of rap, it’s an instinct to always have our guard up and to never let it down because somebody might use that against you. I think it was one of those opportunities where we were just able to just show each other that love of all these different times, all the different music and the songs, that’s really what I walked away from. I was so glad to be able to do that.”
He expressed frustration at people trying to pit the artists against one another by saying that Ludacris’ energetic style was borrowed from Nelly. “It’s ludacris, man. No pun intended,” he said. “Honestly, it was sad to see.”
He also acknowledged the way the COVID-19 pandemic has made his desire to honor others more pressing.
“Anybody that had an impact on me, or that I respected that created their completely own lane, it’s great to be able to tell them especially at a time right now, where life is precious and people are dying…it’s so good to understand how precious life is and to give each other that love, cause love is the answer at all times.”