This month marks the two-year anniversary of Verzuz, the platform was launched by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland that showcases beat battles held on Instagram Live. Since then, the show has held numerous duels between the likes of The Lox, Dipset, Nelly, Ludacris, Keyshia Cole, Ashanti, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, E-40, Too Short, Gucci Mane, Jeezy, and many more. To commemorate their success, Swizz and Timbo will partner with Amazon Studios, Lena Waithe, her production company Hillman Grad Productions, and Good Trouble Studios for a special documentary.
Titled Gifted & Black, the documentary will highlight the rise of Verzuz, as well as the roots of Black music. According to Deadline, it will use “poignant interviews, gripping vérité and magnetic archival footage” to see how Black music impacts the culture.
“When we first started this mission the entire world had hit rock bottom,” Swizz Beatz said in a statement. “People were going through so much and Tim and I felt we should do something to help folks escape. The rest is history, we made the magical call to Hillman Grad because we only wanted people to see the best of the best.”
A release date for Gifted & Black has not yet been revealed but it will air on Amazon Prime Video when released.