The rematch between Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds and Teddy Riley finally went down on Monday 20:00 EST (Tuesday morning at 02:00 in South Africa).
Verzuz battle returns with Babyface vs Teddy Riley rematch
This Verzuz battle was the most anticipated. In the first attempt, things did not particularly go according to plan. Teddy Riley can accept responsibility for failing to have his sound set up properly before going live on Instagram to face off with one of R&B’s greatest minds.
This error, exposing the ol’ sports age in a technologically advanced world, did not cast a shadow on Riley’s illustrious catalogue.
So, after the apologies were made, Babyface and Teddy Riley went at it again in the first-ever Verzuz rematch.
Key moments that defined this epic rematch
While there was no winner in the contest, Babyface did get the favour of the public. At some point in the encounter, Edmonds pulled out his acoustic guitar and gave a live rendition of When Can I See You. and for the 500 000+ viewers who were tuned in, it was the end of the battle.
Coincidentally, right at this moment, Riley encountered another bout of sound problems, causing a 17-minute delay in proceedings. This time around, Babyface was not going to wait around for that so the 62-year-old ended the Verzuz battle with a powerful message about staying safe and practising social distancing in these trying times.
Watch: Babyface vs Teddy Riley rematch
You can watch the highlights of the battle below. If you experience any trouble with loading the video, just refresh your browser.
Tidal has also released a back-to-back playlist of the Babyface vs Teddy Riley battle, which includes all the songs each musician played.