Alicia Keys Responds To Facing Off Against Beyoncé Or Rihanna In "Verzuz"

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 202210.2K Views

Alicia Keys isn't against stepping back into the Verzuz arena for round two.

Alicia Keys is fresh off of the release of her latest album, Alicia, and her press run so far has been quite epic. Nevermind the fact that she got honest about the infamous "Empire State Of Mind" performance at the 2009 VMAs when Lil Mama crashed Alicia Keys and Jay-Z's performance. Her appearance on Drink Champs also included a smoke session, which caught many by surprise.

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One clip that's been making rounds from the interview was on the topic of Verzuz. Although Alicia Keys already faced off against John Legend -- and won -- she did entertain the idea of going in for round 2. The question is, who is a worthy opponent?

Keys heckled N.O.R.E for asking if she'd do Verzuz, knowing that he didn't do the research on her battle against Legend. "He ain't Google it!" Alicia said, hitting her fist on the table. "Ohh yeah, but y'all was so friendly," replied N.O.R.E.

"I do personally think I do need another Verzuz. I think we gotta do it," Keys continued before N.O.R.E asked about the ideal opponent. Alicia Keys asked the room who fielded suggestions like Elton John, Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, and Sade. That's when the names Rihanna and Beyoncé started to pop out.

"That's a good one," she said when both Beyoncé and Rihanna's names were thrown into the mix. "Me, Bey or Rih," she added to a room full of applause.

Alicia talks Verzuz around the 37:50 mark.

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.