Let’s Round-Up The Final Tally’s On Ashanti Vs. Keyshia Cole’s ‘Verzuz’ Battle Via Billboard’s Scorecard & Winner!
“Two of R&B’s most well-loved voices of the 21st century faced off in
the latest Verzuz battle tonight (Jan 22), solidifying their impact as over
1.1 million excited viewers tuned in — even after the event was rescheduled
twice beforehand.
Keyshia Cole and Ashanti rounded up their top hits as they went
head-to-head for a nostalgic evening. Ironically, the “Always On Time” singer actually wound up stepping in
front of the screen an hour after the stream went live, but the delayed
start shouldn’t come as a surprise to any seasoned Verzuz attendee.
“My sis is on the way. I’ma hold it down for my girl,” assured a calm and
collected Ashanti as her DJ played a snippet of a sultry new single she has
on the way — holding viewers over until the second guest of honor arrived.
Though the last few Verzuz battles have taken place with both artists being
present in the same room, this time the set up brought viewers back to the
original quarantine-birthed, split-screen set up viewers initially fell in
love with (and tuned into en masse).
As longtime collaborators like Ja Rule and Fat Joe filed into the IG
live, Keyshia Cole kicked the nostalgic evening off with the very first
song. Both ladies shined bright, but here’s how Billboard scored each round of the battle, with our winner for the entire event
revealed at the very end.
Round 1: Keyshia Cole’s “I Changed My Mind” vs. Ashanti’s
“Happy”
Ashanti came out the gate swinging with one of the most popular feel-good
hits off her self-titled debut, swinging the battle in her favor
early.
WINNER: Ashanti
Round 2: Keyshia Cole’s “I Should Have Cheated” vs. Ashanti’s “The Way
That I Love You”
“You already know how it is in these streets, being cheated to and lied
to…” Keyshia says as she opens up the next round — and as soon as
those words leave her mouth, everyone in the comments already knows what
song was about to play. Ashanti’s “The Way That I Love You” was a hit, but
the rawness of Keyshia’s “I Should Have Cheated” ultimately sticks
more.
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Round 3: Keyshia Cole feat. Lil Wayne’s “Enough of No Love” vs. Ashanti’s
“Don’t Leave Me Alone”
Keyshia grabs back-to-back wins after bringing out the opening track of
her 2012 Woman to Woman album — and her rapping along to Lil Wayne’s feature is the cherry
on top.
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Round 4: Keyshia Cole’s “Shoulda Let You Go” vs. Ashanti’s “Rock With U
(Awww Baby)”
As Keyshia reached back into her Just Like You days for round 4, Ashanti has the perfect rebuttal up her sleeve.
The audience is overjoyed as her well-loved “Rock With U” blends
brilliantly and seamlessly into Michael Jackson’s timeless “Rock With You”
classic. “That was a very expensive sample,” Ashanti jokes. It pays off
here, because she wins this round.
WINNER: Ashanti
Round 5: “I Remember” vs. Lloyd feat. Ashanti’s “Southside”
Although Lloyd’s Ashanti-assisted “Southside” is an absolute stand-out
from his 2004 album, the emotion-filled mini performance by Keyshia as she
belts “I Remember” reminds the audience of her penchant for crafting
powerful post-break-up anthems.
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Round 6: Diddy feat. Keyshia Cole’s “Last Night” vs. Jennifer Lopez feat.
Ja Rule’s “Ain’t It Funny (Murder Remix)”
Keyshia prefaces her next choice by shouting out the infamous Diddy bop,
also sharing that the upcoming song is one of her favorite track sto
perform. As the unmistakable first notes of “Last Night” play, it’s clear
why she loves to hit the stage with this one. “It’s funny you mention
Diddy,” says Ashanti, feeding off Keyshia’s energy. She then proceeds to
play “Ain’t That Funny (Murder Remix),” tying it together by sharing a
short story about how she almost signed to Bad Boy Records, and revealing
to those unaware that she wrote the verses for J Lo in this song. The
closest round yet, but ultimately “Last Night” takes it.
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Round 7: 2Pac feat. Keyshia Cole’s “Playa Cardz Right” vs. 2Pac feat.
Ashanti and T.I.’s “Pac’s Life”
When Keyshia brings out her classic record with 2Pac, Ashanti knows just
what to do. “Should we stay on the West Coast or bring it back to the
East?” she asked. She then proceeds to match it with “Pac’s Life.” This
round was an homage to the late legend, leveling the playing field for
both.
WINNER: Tie
Round 8: Keyshia Cole’s “Love” vs. Ashanti’s “Rain On Me”
Although the Hype Williams and Lorenz Tate-directed music video for
Ashanti’s “Rain On Me” was an iconic moment, this platinum Keyshia record
is incredibly tough to beat. Rapper O.T. Genasis also shocks viewers as he
suddenly pulls into the frame, sending social media into an absolute
frenzy thanks to his absolutely hilarious “Never Knew” viral rendition of the Keyshia Cole classic. Ultimately, he assists Cole with the
win here.
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Round 9: Keyshia Cole’s “Trust and Believe” vs. Irv Gotti Presents The
Inc. feat. Charli Baltimore, Ja Rule, Ashanti, and Vita’s “Down 4
U”
After being met with defeat in the last round, Ashanti pulls out a gem
for round 9. Featuring an all-star cast from her old label, “Down 4 U” has
everyone singing along with Ashanti.
WINNER: Ashanti
Round 10: Keyshia Cole’s “You’ve Changed” vs Ashanti’s
“Runaway”
This The Way It Is cut was people’s go-to when holding people accountable, but Ashanti’s
“Runaway” was just as potent. Ultimately the vibe is equal here for both
singers in this round.
WINNER: Tie
Round 11: Keyshia Cole’s “Heaven Sent” vs. Ashanti’s “Baby”
Ashanti sounds stunning as she passionately sings along to “Baby,” but
it’s just not enough to battle one of Keyshia Cole’s most well-loved
tracks in “Heaven Sent.”
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Round 12: Ashanti’s “Only U” vs. Keyshia Cole’s “Brand New”
After a short intermission, the two singer-songwriters swap places, with
Ashanti now kicking off every round. “This is the sexiest song I got,”
says Keyshia as she fights back with “Brand New” — but considering the
weight of her mighty Concrete Rose lead single “Only U,” Ashanti pulls ahead this time.
WINNER: Ashanti
Round 13: Fat Joe feat. Ashanti’s “What’s Luv?” vs. Keyshia Cole feat.
Monica’s “Trust”
Both singers picked songs with great assists for this round. But Ashanti
grabs the win here, as “What’s Luv” takes viewers back to a time where the
record would be blaring through the speakers of every house party.
WINNER: Ashanti
Round 14: Fabolous feat. Ashanti’s “Into You” vs. Jaheim feat. Keyshia
Cole’s “I’ve Changed”
At this point of the battle, Ashanti is whipping out all of her
fan-favorites back to back. Her version of the classic record with
Fabolous may not have made the song’s official video, but Ashanti’s voice
on the hook was stuck in people’s heads for years to come
regardless.
WINNER: Ashanti
Round 15: Ashanti’s “Movies” vs. Sean Paul feat. Keyshia Cole’s “Give It
Up to Me”
“When I was young, I wanted to be like the girls in the movies,” Ashanti
says with a smirk. “And then I became the girl in the movie.” She brings
out her “Movies” track, and although Keyshia was admittedly losing a
little bit of steam here, she undoubtedly takes this round home by
whipping out a Sean Paul smash that showcases her versatility.
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Round 16: Ja Rule feat. Ashanti’s “Mesmerize” vs. Keyshia Cole feat.
Missy Elliott and Lil Kim’s “Let It Go”
Although it’s no secret that any time Ashanti and Ja Rule linked up, the
result was magic, this cut from Keyshia boasts a triple threat roster
that’s too difficult to beat.
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Round 17: Ashanti’s “Foolish” / “Unfoolish” (feat. The Notorious B.I.G.)
vs. Keyshia Cole’s “Never”
As if Ashanti’s “Foolish” record wasn’t already strong enough, she led
the song ride into the remix featuring the great Biggie Smalls. Keyshia
Cole matched with her own record assisted by a late legend, the Luther Vandross-sampling “Never,” but Ashanti is the bigger crowd pleaser this round.
WINNER: Ashanti
Round 18: Ashanti’s “Breakup 2 Makeup” vs. Keyshia Cole’s “You Complete
Me”
At this point in the battle, the two singers begin rushing to finish the
battle before Instagram kicks them off due to the time restraint. This
unfortunately leads to a relatively lackluster round of tracks, with
the winner too tough to call.
WINNER: Tie
Round 19: Ashanti’s “Don’t Let Them” vs Keyshia Cole feat. Remy Ma and
French Montana’s “You”
Keyshia Cole turns to one of her later hits for his round, enlisting two
New York heads Remy Ma and French Montana for the assist on her 2017 “You”
record, which gives her the upper hand against Ashanti’s “Don’t Let
Them.”
WINNER: Keyshia Cole
Round 20: Ashanti’s “Always On Time” vs. Keyshia Cole’s “I Don’t Wanna Be
In Love With You”
Both contestants seemed to be unaware this was the final round, but one
contestant admittedly handles the pressure better than the other. Ashanti
closes out her side by bringing out one of her biggest hits, while Keyshia
uses this as the opportunity to play one of her new records. Although the
new single is solid, viewers collectively agree that the final round of a
Verzuz is not the time and place to debut a new track nobody has
heard.
WINNER: Ashanti
BONUS ROUNDS
Wider Catalogue: Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Cole demonstrated the power of her solo records, but also made
sure to show off more of the range she has in terms of collabs as well —
including Sean Paul, Missy Elliott, Diddy, and more.
Biggest Snub: Keyshia Cole (Point to Ashanti)
Upon reviewing the collective opinion on social media, Ashanti hit all
her key points for the most part, whereas Keyshia left off a few records
she could have used, like “Take Me Away.”
Best Banter: Ashanti
Both singers spent the duration of the battle trading words of
encouragement after each hit played. However, based off how Ashanti held
it down solo for her late counterpart for the first half hour, and also
how she paused more to share some back stories before tracks played,
Ashanti was the slightly more game presence.
Biggest KO: Ashanti
Ashanti made the right move to save one of her biggest hits for the last
few rounds, and to top it off, made sure to utilize her Biggie feature to
its fullest potential when she unleashed “Unfoolish” towards the
end.
People’s Champ: Ashanti
Although both singers matched up closely music-wise, Ashanti reigned as
the overall people’s champ in terms of the positive energy she brought to
the battle.
FINAL SCORE: 12-10-3, Ashanti.” – Billboard.com
