Timbaland and Swizz Beatz’s “Verzuz” battles have provided hours of entertainment for people while they’re staying at home to avoid COVID-19. Many have said how important the battles are for the culture, and Timbaland and Beatz have received a lot of praise for coming up with the idea.
Chuck D sees the IG Live competitions another way. He believes they shouldn’t be on sites like Instagram, that they should be on streaming platforms that don’t belong to a big company. In addition to speaking out on the topic, he’s planning to launch his own app, he said.
Chuck said that people will eventually move on to other platforms to watch content like the battles, and he used a site that was popular many years ago as an example.
“I’m launching my own streaming APP Friday May 1,” he tweeted on Monday, April 26. “All these performances on Instagram Facebook YouTube are as tenuous as MySpace. Establish your own .com HardDrives server subscription if you can. Also small venues bars cafes 10-50 will be abundant & WIRED so build your contacts.”
Chuck sent another tweet after that and said artists risk having their content erased by the platforms they use, which eventually won’t be free.
“I add I’ve been independent since 1998 & online since,” he tweeted. “Most superCelebs have come through these gigantic corporations the past 21 years. Independent artists should know that these socMed platforms are #OneHackAway from your s-t being ‘vanished’ & no longer FREE its how they work.”
Chuck’s using the Internet to help his career before it was common to do so include his starting the websites SlamJamz.com, Rapstation.com and HipHopGods.com many years ago. The latter was a place where people can go and read up on rap artists of today and yesterday.
He went before Congress in 2000 as well, to protect the use of mp3 downloads being used. It was at time when file-sharing companies like Napster came under fire for giving people access to free digital music.
His recent message about the importance of ownership isn’t new either, as he he established the nonprofit company FightThePower.org many years ago, set up to help artists try to get things like ownership of their masters and rights to their publishing.
Neither Beatz nor Timbaland have responded to Chuck’s message, and they’re continuing to put on more of their Verzuz battles.
Sean “Diddy” Combs shared that he’s in talks with Dr. Dre about a battle when he spoke with Fat Joe on Instagram Live recently.
