As longtime collaborators like Ja Rule and Fats Joe filed into the IG dwell, Keyshia Cole kicked the nostalgic night off with the very first tune. Each girls shined brilliant, however right here’s how Billboard scored every spherical of the battle, with our winner for all the occasion revealed on the very finish.
Spherical 1: Keyshia Cole’s “I Modified My Thoughts” vs. Ashanti’s “Comfortable”
Ashanti got here out the gate swinging with one of the vital standard feel-good hits off her self-titled debut, swinging the battle in her favor early.
WINNER: Ashanti
Spherical 2: Keyshia Cole’s “I Ought to Have Cheated” vs. Ashanti’s “The Approach That I Love You”
“You already understand how it’s in these streets, being cheated to and lied to…” Keyshia says as she opens up the following spherical — and as quickly as these phrases go away her mouth, everybody within the feedback already is aware of what tune was about to play. Ashanti’s “The Approach That I Love You” was successful, however the rawness of Keyshia’s “I Ought to Have Cheated” finally sticks extra.
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Spherical 3: Keyshia Cole feat. Lil Wayne’s “Sufficient of No Love” vs. Ashanti’s “Don’t Go away Me Alone”
Keyshia grabs back-to-back wins after bringing out the opening monitor of her 2012 Lady to Lady album — and her rapping alongside to Lil Wayne’s characteristic is the cherry on high.
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Spherical 4: Keyshia Cole’s “Shoulda Let You Go” vs. Ashanti’s “Rock With U (Awww Child)”
As Keyshia reached again into her Simply Like You days for spherical 4, Ashanti has the proper rebuttal up her sleeve. The viewers is overjoyed as her well-loved “Rock With U” blends brilliantly and seamlessly into Michael Jackson’s timeless “Rock With You” basic. “That was a really costly pattern,” Ashanti jokes. It pays off right here, as a result of she wins this spherical.
WINNER: Ashanti
Spherical 5: “I Bear in mind” vs. Lloyd feat. Ashanti’s “Southside”
Though Lloyd’s Ashanti-assisted “Southside” is an absolute stand-out from his 2004 album, the emotion-filled mini efficiency by Keyshia as she belts “I Bear in mind” reminds the viewers of her penchant for crafting highly effective post-break-up anthems.
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Spherical 6: Diddy feat. Keyshia Cole’s “Final Night time” vs. Jennifer Lopez feat. Ja Rule’s “Ain’t It Humorous (Homicide Remix)”
Keyshia prefaces her subsequent selection by shouting out the notorious Diddy bop, additionally sharing that the upcoming tune is one in every of her favourite monitor sto carry out. Because the unmistakable first notes of “Final Night time” play, it’s clear why she likes to hit the stage with this one. “It’s humorous you point out Diddy,” says Ashanti, feeding off Keyshia’s power. She then proceeds to play “Ain’t That Humorous (Homicide Remix),” tying it collectively by sharing a brief story about how she nearly signed to Unhealthy Boy Information, and revealing to these unaware that she wrote the verses for J Lo on this tune. The closest spherical but, however finally “Final Night time” takes it.
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Spherical 7: 2Pac feat. Keyshia Cole’s “Playa Cardz Proper” vs. 2Pac feat. Ashanti and T.I.’s “Pac’s Life”
When Keyshia brings out her basic report with 2Pac, Ashanti is aware of simply what to do. “Ought to we keep on the West Coast or deliver it again to the East?” she requested. She then proceeds to match it with “Pac’s Life.” This spherical was an homage to the late legend, leveling the taking part in discipline for each.
WINNER: Tie
Spherical 8: Keyshia Cole’s “Love” vs. Ashanti’s “Rain On Me”
Though the Hype Williams and Lorenz Tate-directed music video for Ashanti’s “Rain On Me” was an iconic second, this platinum Keyshia report is extremely robust to beat. Rapper O.T. Genasis additionally shocks viewers as he immediately pulls into the body, sending social media into an absolute frenzy due to his completely hilarious “Never Knew” viral rendition of the Keyshia Cole basic. Finally, he assists Cole with the win right here.
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Spherical 9: Keyshia Cole’s “Belief and Consider” vs. Irv Gotti Presents The Inc. feat. Charli Baltimore, Ja Rule, Ashanti, and Vita’s “Down Four U”
After being met with defeat within the final spherical, Ashanti pulls out a gem for spherical 9. That includes an all-star solid from her outdated label, “Down Four U” has everybody singing together with Ashanti.
WINNER: Ashanti
Spherical 10: Keyshia Cole’s “You’ve Modified” vs Ashanti’s “Runaway”
This The Approach It Is minimize was folks’s go-to when holding folks accountable, however Ashanti’s “Runaway” was simply as potent. Finally the vibe is equal right here for each singers on this spherical.
WINNER: Tie
Spherical 11: Keyshia Cole’s “Heaven Despatched” vs. Ashanti’s “Child”
Ashanti sounds beautiful as she passionately sings alongside to “Child,” however it’s simply not sufficient to battle one in every of Keyshia Cole’s most well-loved tracks in “Heaven Despatched.”
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Spherical 12: Ashanti’s “Solely U” vs. Keyshia Cole’s “Model New”
After a brief intermission, the 2 singer-songwriters swap locations, with Ashanti now kicking off each spherical. “That is the sexiest tune I received,” says Keyshia as she fights again with “Model New” — however contemplating the load of her mighty Concrete Rose lead single “Solely U,” Ashanti pulls forward this time.
WINNER: Ashanti
Spherical 13: Fats Joe feat. Ashanti’s “What’s Luv?” vs. Keyshia Cole feat. Monica’s “Belief”
Each singers picked songs with nice assists for this spherical. However Ashanti grabs the win right here, as “What’s Luv” takes viewers again to a time the place the report could be blaring by means of the audio system of each home social gathering.
WINNER: Ashanti
Spherical 14: Fabolous feat. Ashanti’s “Into You” vs. Jaheim feat. Keyshia Cole’s “I’ve Modified”
At this level of the battle, Ashanti is whipping out all of her fan-favorites again to again. Her model of the basic report with Fabolous could not have made his album, however Ashanti’s voice on the hook was caught in folks’s heads for years to come back regardless.
WINNER: Ashanti
Spherical 15: Ashanti’s “Motion pictures” vs. Sean Paul feat. Keyshia Cole’s “Give It As much as Me”
“Once I was younger, I needed to be like the ladies within the motion pictures,” Ashanti says with a smirk. “After which I grew to become the lady within the film.” She brings out her “Motion pictures” monitor, and though Keyshia was admittedly dropping slightly little bit of steam right here, she undoubtedly takes this spherical residence by whipping out a Sean Paul smash that showcases her versatility.
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Spherical 16: Ja Rule feat. Ashanti’s “Mesmerize” vs. Keyshia Cole feat. Missy Elliott and Lil Kim’s “Let It Go”
Though it’s no secret that any time Ashanti and Ja Rule linked up, the end result was magic, this minimize from Keyshia boasts a triple risk roster that’s too troublesome to beat.
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Spherical 17: Ashanti’s “Silly” / “Unfoolish” (feat. The Infamous B.I.G.) vs. Keyshia Cole’s “By no means”
As if Ashanti’s “Silly” report wasn’t already robust sufficient, she led the tune trip into the remix that includes the good Biggie Smalls. Keyshia Cole matched together with her personal report assisted by a late legend, the Luther Vandross-sampling “By no means,” however Ashanti is the larger crowd pleaser this spherical.
WINNER: Ashanti
Spherical 18: Ashanti’s “Breakup 2 Make-up” vs. Keyshia Cole’s “You Full Me”
At this level within the battle, the 2 singers start dashing to complete the battle earlier than Instagram kicks them off as a result of time restraint. This sadly results in a comparatively lackluster spherical of tracks, with the winner too robust to name.
WINNER: Tie
Spherical 19: Ashanti’s “Don’t Let Them” vs Keyshia Cole feat. Remy Ma and French Montana’s “You”
Keyshia Cole turns to one in every of her later hits for his spherical, enlisting two New York heads Remy Ma and French Montana for the help on her 2017 “You” report, which supplies her the higher hand towards Ashanti’s “Don’t Let Them.”
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Spherical 20: Ashanti’s “All the time On Time” vs. Keyshia Cole’s “I Don’t Wanna Be In Love With You”
Each contestants gave the impression to be unaware this was the ultimate spherical, however one contestant admittedly handles the stress higher than the opposite. Ashanti closes out her aspect by bringing out one in every of her greatest hits, whereas Keyshia makes use of this as the chance to play one in every of her new information. Though the brand new single is strong, viewers collectively agree that the ultimate spherical of a Verzuz just isn’t the time and place to debut a brand new monitor no person has heard.
WINNER: Ashanti
BONUS ROUNDS
Wider Catalogue: Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Cole demonstrated the facility of her solo information, but additionally made certain to indicate off extra of the vary she has when it comes to collabs as effectively — together with Sean Paul, Missy Elliott, Diddy, and extra.
Greatest Snub: Keyshia Cole (Level to Ashanti)
Upon reviewing the collective opinion on social media, Ashanti hit all her key factors for essentially the most half, whereas Keyshia left off just a few information she may have used, like “Take Me Away.”
Finest Banter: Ashanti
Each singers spent the length of the battle buying and selling phrases of encouragement after every hit performed. Nonetheless, primarily based off how Ashanti held it down solo for her late counterpart for the primary half hour, and likewise how she paused extra to share some again tales earlier than tracks performed, Ashanti was the marginally extra recreation presence.
Greatest KO: Ashanti
Ashanti made the correct transfer to save lots of one in every of her greatest hits for the previous couple of rounds, and to high it off, made certain to make the most of her Biggie characteristic to its fullest potential when she unleashed “Unfoolish” in direction of the tip.
Individuals’s Champ: Ashanti
Though each singers matched up carefully music-wise, Ashanti reigned as the general folks’s champ when it comes to the constructive power she delivered to the battle.
FINAL SCORE: 12-10-3, Ashanti
