Toni Braxton recently name-dropped two people she would be willing to do a “Verzuz” battle with. In an Interview Magazine conversation she had with Missy Elliot on Sept. 22, Braxton says Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige would be people she could see herself going up against on the popular series.
The two legends sat down last Tuesday to discuss their upbringing, women in the music industry and working together on music. In the middle of the conversation, Missy Elliot brought up why she enjoys the webcast series “Verzuz.”
Elliot explained how back in the day it was easier to see the credits because hard copies were more popular and people would “be able to see all the credits.” But these days it is not as easy to see who had a hand in creating a musical project. Now “Verzuz” has given artists the platform to come and talk about how projects came together and who all was involved.
Elliot said, “You get a chance to hear who did what. That’s what I love about it, too.”
She went on to talk about Toni Braxton doing a “Verzuz” but how she thinks Braxton would probably want to do the battle by herself instead.
Braxton responded, “Yeah, I can’t. I’m like, It would have to be me, Mariah [Carey] or Mary J. [Blige] or something. Us girls from the ’90s. But no, I haven’t put it on the register to do it yet.”
When fans caught wind of Braxton’s statements, many disagreed that this was the appropriate matchup.
Some fans made suggestions of their own saying “Deborah Cox or Tamia,” “No pooh Kelly Price or Faith Evans,” and “Nah, she can battle Tamar tho lol.”
Others felt that “NOBODY is beating Mariah Carey” and that “Mary eating everybody up.”
Braxton did have some people who had her back in the comments, with one writing, “Y’all clearly don’t listen to 90s R&B as much as y’all claim to in these comments. Toni Braxton can go hit for hit with Mariah EASY.”
Despite what fans think, chances are slim that Braxton would battle Mary J. Blige. In an interview earlier this month with Andy Cohen for his show “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” Blige stated that she was not interested in doing a “Verzuz” battle.
Fans have also tried asking Timbaland to arrange a “Verzuz” battle with Mariah Carey and the late great Whitney Houston. The producer responded to the requests with, “This is a good match but me and @therealswizzz have other plans for @mariahcarey.”
Braxton has not shown any real interest in doing a “Verzuz” battle either. However, she has been working on new music during the current pandemic social distancing regime. Last month she put out her tenth studio album, “Spell My Name,” where she worked with both Babyface and Missy Elliot. The album was released Aug. 28.
