Raekwon and Ghostface Killah went head to head for a Wu-Tang family showdown on VERZUZ Saturday night (March 20). See the round-by-round breakdown below.
During their time together, the two reminisced about a trip they took together to Barbados. RZA stopped by to say hello at one point, as Young Dirty Bastard, the son of late Wu-Tang associate Ol’ Dirty Bastard. RZA returned later to lead a toast near the end of the show. Cappadonna appeared to perform his guest verse on Raekwon’s “Ice Cream,” and Masta Killa stepped up for “Glaciers of Ice.” Ghostface Killah joined a round with Raekwon, performing “Criminology” from the latter’s 1995 solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…
After “halftime,” Raekwon declared that he was drunk and that he was restarting the proceedings without waiting for Ghostface Killah to return from his break. Inspectah Deck then joined him for Wu-Tang Clan’s “C.R.E.A.M.,” and Ghostface returned to the set in a white ankle-length mink coat. In the 19th round, Raekwon started with Jodeci’s “Freek’n You (Mr. Dalvin’s Freek Mix),” which Ghostface finished on his turn.
VERZUZ returned for its second season late last year, featuring a “Legends of the Bay” face-off between Too $hort and E-40 in December and a twice-rescheduled battle between Ashanti and Keyshia Cole. D’Angelo shook up the format in February with a solo appearance at the Apollo Theater, with Redman, Method man, and H.E.R. joining him as guests. Earlier this month, founders Timbaland and Swizz Beats announced that they had sold VERZUZ to the shortform video app Triller, with prior VERZUZ performers becoming stakeholders in the new setup.
Round 1:
Ghostface Killah: “Special Delivery” (Diddy)
Raekwon: “Skew It on the Bar-B” (OutKast)
Round 2:
Ghostface Killah: “Ghost Deini”
Raekwon: “10 Bricks”
Round 3:
Ghostface Killah: “4th Chamber” (GZA)
Raekwon: “House of Flying Daggers”
Round 4:
Ghostface Killah: “Mighty Healthy”
Raekwon: “Incarcerated Scarfaces”
Round 5:
Ghostface Killah: “Black Jesus”
Raekwon: “Live from New York”
Round 6:
Ghostface Killah: “The Watch”
Raekwon: “It’s Yourz” (Wu-Tang Clan)
Round 7:
Ghostface Killah: “Impossible” (Wu-Tang Clan)
Raekwon: “100 Rounds”
Round 8:
Ghostface Killah: “Cherchez La Ghost”
Raekwon: “Ice Cream” [ft. Cappadonna]
Round 9:
Ghostface Killah: “New God Flow.1” (Kanye West)
Raekwon: “State of Grace”
Round 10:
Ghostface Killah: “Nutmeg”
Raekwon: “Criminology” [ft. Ghostface Killah]
Round 11:
Rakewon: “C.R.E.A.M.” [ft. Inspectah Deck] (Wu-Tang Clan)
Ghostface Killah: “Holla”
Round 12:
Raekwon: “Rainy Dayz (Remix)”
Ghostface Killah: “Daytona 500”
Round 13:
Raekwon: “Glaciers of Ice” [ft. Masta Killa]
Ghostface Killah: “Run”
Round 14:
Raekwon: “John Blaze” (Fat Joe)
Ghostface Killah: “It’s Over”
Round 15:
Raekwon: “Yae Yo”
Ghostface Killah: “One”
Round 16:
Raekwon: “Rich and Black”
Ghostface Killah: “Back Like That”
Round 17:
Raekwon: “Verbal Intercourse”
Ghostface Killah: “Never Be the Same Again”
Round 18:
Raekwon: “Cash Still Rules/Scary Hours (Still Don’t Nothing Move but the Money)” (Wu-Tang Clan)
Ghostface Killah: “Summertime” (Beyoncé)
Round 19:
Raekwon and Ghostface Killah: “Freek’n You (Mr. Dalvin’s Freek Mix)” (Jodeci)
Round 20:
Raekwon: “The Game of Rock”
Ghostface Killah and Raekwon: “Can It Be All So Simple / Intermission” (Wu-Tang Clan)
Round 20:
Ghostface Killah: “All That I Got Is You”
Raekwon: “Heaven & Hell”