Dr. Dre Canceled His Verzuz Chronic Smoke Over Teddy Riley & Babyface Sound Fiasco

When Timbaland and Swizz Beatz were first getting Verzuz off the ground early last year as a way to combat the quarantine blues, they ran into a few bumps. In particular, the Teddy Riley and Babyface showdown in April 2020 was an epic failure with numerous sound quality issues and sometimes, no sound at all.

Following a well-deserved rematch and several more successful events, the duo started taking Verzuz to new heights with a deal with Apple Music and, more recently, a partnership with the Triller Network.

Needless to say, the sound quality during subsequent Verzuz events has vastly improved, but the Teddy and Babyface debacle still cost Timbo and Swizz one of the biggest Hip Hop artists in the world. During a recent interview with The Breakfast Club, DJ Envy asked Swizz if there were any artists who fell through the cracks and Swizz replied without hesitation — Dr. Dre.

“When Dr. Dre wasn’t feeling the sound from Teddy Riley and Babyface, that hurt our heart,” he says around the 14:30-minute mark. “I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ If you go back, Dr. Dre was at the Teddy Riley one. He came at the end, but he was supposed to come at the end and announce he was doing Verzuz that night.”

Although Swizz wouldn’t reveal who Dre was going to battle, he did say the celebrated producer was planning on confirming his involvement.

“He got on the phone and was like, ‘Man, I can’t be a part of nothing that look like or sound like that. My legacy is quality. My legacy is this, that,’” he explains. “I was like, ‘Ohhhh we just lost Dre over that. That one felt pretty crazy but since then, the energy has been really good.”

Following an epic Wu-Tang Clan showdown between Ghostface Killah and Raekwon The Chef on March 20, Timbo and Swizz announced The Isley Brothers would face off against Earth, Wind & Fire on Easter Sunday (April 4). For those aching for more Wu-Tang-flavored events will want to tune in on April 20, the international weed smokers holiday, when Method Man and Redman go head to head for the aptly titled “How High” event.