It's happening: R&B legends Keyshia Cole and Ashanti will go hit-for-hit in the next Verzuz battle.
The showdown was announced on Friday afternoon, following months of teasers and growing speculation. Cole hinted at the battle in an Instagram post back in May when she shared a fan-made chart that compared her long list of hits to that of Ashanti's. Cole tagged the "Rock Wit U" songstress as well as Verzuz co-creators Swiss Beatz and Timbaland, whom she asked: "Is this accurate?"
Ashanti and Cole broke into the mainstream in the early aughts and went on to amass a slew of accolades as well as chart-topping records. Formerly the princess of Murder Inc. before steering into her own individual lane of artistry, Ashanti delivered classics like "Foolish," "Rain on Me," and "What's Luv?" with Fat Joe, as well as "Always on Time" and "Mesmerize" with Ja Rule. Cole's discography is just as impressive, including favorited classics like "Let It Go" with Missy Elliott and Lil Kim," "I Should Have Cheated," "Heaven Sent," and "Last Night" with Diddy. The two also worked together on the 2012 cut "Woman to Woman" of Cole's fifth studio album.
"It's a celebration," Cole said about the upcoming event, which marks the fourth battle between female artists.
The Cole x Ashanti Verzuz will go down at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 12. Fans are now taking to Twitter to place their bets on the winner. And, to absolutely no one's surprise, there's a pretty even split between Team Cole and Team Ashanti. You can read some of the reactions to the announcement below.
