Verzuz battles have become a great way to salute and pay homage to the legacies of artists who probably don’t get as much recognition as they should — or at least, give them their flowers while they’re still around to appreciate it — but as the series continues, there are some who want to see even bigger stars hit the stage to play their hits.
One of those who do is LA Reid, who stated during an interview on The Real that his dream matchup would be between two megastars in Beyonce and Mariah Carey. While both are vocal powerhouses who have sold millions of records and become nearly ubiquitous household names — especially now that it’s December, which is slowly but surely becoming more of a celebration of Mariah than yuletide cheer — many fans, upon hearing the suggestion, voiced their disapproval on Twitter.
While much of the chatter was the typical stan war stuff (“Beyoncé is the Queen of what exactly?” one user questioned), there were others who pointed out that the two aren’t exactly peers, since Mariah debuted a solid decade before Beyonce’s solo career took off. The best Verzuz battles so far have been those between artists from similar generations, such as The Lox and The Diplomats, or the recent showdown between Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia.
Beyoncé is the Queen of what exactly? Queen of her fans? B is good but cannot match Mariah’s vocals. It’s just silly. LA is being silly
— Grayling2 (@GraylingForReal) December 7, 2021
https://twitter.com/chicagopress/status/1468355267968520193
Meanwhile, still, others pointed out, simply, that neither artist seems particularly interested in doing Verzuz, which has always seemed to book artists who are perhaps slightly past their commercial prime or who flew under the radar as songwriters and producers. Beyonce and Mariah Carey are both still selling millions of records — even if it’s just “All I Want For Christmas,” Mariah’s pull is enough to warrant a month-long McDonald’s menu — and thus, Verzuz “couldn’t afford” them.
1. Not Peers; completely different
demographic
2. Verzuz can’t afford them
3. They’re above Verzuz
4. Both artists KNOW they’re above Verzuz and will never do it.
5. No one cares what LA Reid wants.I’m not accepting further thoughts. https://t.co/K3IMGxgx5o
— SALKING VON(TEA)SE (@SalKingRichard) December 7, 2021
Verzuz can’t afford Mariah Carey or Beyoncé. Let’s actually start there.
— Khalil (@kbyrd2_) December 8, 2021
And others wondered why LA Reid was being given a platform at all, considering he was recently accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, leading to his ouster from Epic Records, and a huge settlement payment from Sony.
Sexual predator @LA_Reid says what? https://t.co/Gw3Gc7wrPo
— Drew Dixon (@deardrewdixon) December 8, 2021
Check out more responses to LA Reid’s dream matchup below, and watch the full interview above.
Beyonce is everything but she is not Mariah Carey's peer. I'm not sure what LA Reid meant by that. Mariah Carey is a legend in her own lane that went head to head with Luther Vandross, Toni Braxton, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Prince, and other greats. Like…whut
— Jason (U mad) (@EmperorTChalla) December 8, 2021
My thoughts are that LA Reid should stay out of women's business 😌 https://t.co/QrxpsLNC7X
— micah (@mbbnc) December 8, 2021
https://twitter.com/sweet0ne_/status/1468612306548494345
https://twitter.com/callmedollar/status/1468410852210581504
Mariah Carey simply could not compete in a verzuz battle because she is not a player, she is the game.
— Phillip (@MajorPhilebrity) December 8, 2021
https://twitter.com/murphdogg29/status/1468350318840741888