Rappers Ludacris and Nelly celebrated the 20th anniversary of some of their most significant albums on Saturday night by battling each other on a Verzuz battle on Instagram live.
Over 400,000 viewers tuned in to the R&B face-off, a weekly Instagram event launched by hip hop producer Timbaland for millions of music fans who are sheltering in place.
Nelly’s WiFi connection was glitchy, delaying the battle, but Ludacris kept fans entertained and DJing until Nelly connected.
Ludacris started off his set wearing a face mask, along with a Hawks jersey from his home in Atlanta.
Nelly sported a University City High School baseball jersey, where he once played in his hometown of St. Louis. After overcoming his technical difficulties, Nelly showed off the Diamond Award he won for his 2000s’ hit album “Country Grammar,” while playing “Ride Wit Me.”
Other musicians tuned in, adding their thoughts in the comments, and receiving shoutouts from Ludacris, who reminded viewers how skilled of a DJ he is.
Ciara, Chance and Usher all got repeated mentions after popping up in the comments, as did comedian Tiffany Haddish.
Ludacris paid homage to the musicians who were watching.
“There’s a lot of living legends in here,” he said.
Most viewers of Saturday’s battle agreed that Ludacris was the clear winner. However, viewers also came to another consensus: Nelly is still hot.