Sizzla Reacts To Ja Rule’s Use Of Their Collab In Verzuz Battle Against Fat Joe
Ja Rule’s use of his 2003 single The Crown featuring Reggae/Dancehall superstar Sizzla, during his VERZUZ battle against Fat Joe, got a major acknowledgment from the Black Woman and Child singer on Wednesday.
The track, which is from the American rapper’s Blood in My Eye album, begins with the opening verse from Sizzla’s iconic Solid As Rock track, from the August Town native’s legendary Da Real Thing album which was released in November 2002.
Sizzla shared the snippet from the VERZUZ clash on his Instagram page but his caption did not have anything to do directly with the clash between the two rappers. “Unite my people unite black people #on a high album,” the Dunoon Technical High School past student had written under the VERZUZ clip.
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Da Real Thing, which was the Rastafarian superstar’s 17th studio album, is rated as one of his top two albums, and is his most successful commercial album to date.
Executive-produced by Sizzla, Da Real Thing features a mix of Dancehall and Reggae songs all of them considered classics. They were: Mash Dem Down, Simplicity, Solid as a Rock, Rejoice, Thank You Mamma, Woman I Need You, Bless Up, Why Should I, Got It Right Here, Just One of Those Days, Trod Mt. Zion, It’s Amazing, She’s Loving, Boom & Go Through and Touch Me (featuring Rochelle).
Ja Rule’s Blood in my Eye was the rapper’s fifth studio album and was released on November 4, 2003 by Murder Inc. Records and Def Jam Recordings.
Sizzla’s post of Ja Rule in VERZUZ action also resurrected several calls from his fans for a VERZUZ clash between the Gun Handling Pros singer himself and his compatriot Capleton. “I would love to see you do verzuz and I think Capleton would be a great match you guys bring the most blessed energy we need,” samewagdiffday wrote, while junidun_ added: “SIZZLA vs CAPLETON NEXTS”.
There is likely to be no clash between the two fiery Rastamen though, as, in October 2020, Capleton had told The Jamaica Star tabloid that he would not be participating in the Timbaland and Swiss Beatz-conceptualised musical battle.
“Rasta not in the clash business, and Verzuz is a clash thing,” the St. Mary native had told The Star. “We know music is a competitive industry, but we have set a standard. Not saying I am against working on stage with a fellow artiste performing tune for tune, but the whole element and message being represented is about clashing,” the More Fire artist had said.
His comments had come just over two months after Chronixx had declared that Sizzla would be unbeatable in any clash.
Chronixx’s comments had also come against the background of the clamouring from Reggae and Dancehall fans for a VERZUZ clash between Sizzla and either Buju Banton or Capleton, in the aftermath of the epic friendly battle between Beenie Man and Bounty Killer.
The promoters of VERZUZ had said at the time they had planned to turn their attention back to the Caribbean for more match-ups, following the historic Beenie-Bounty face-off which took place on May 23, 2020.
“Sizzla Kalonji is the greatest artist of our generation as far as the evolution of Jamaican music is concerned,” Chronixx had noted in an Instagram story back then.
“Absolutely no other artist have delivered on his level vocally and creatively. There can only be a Verzuz with Sizzla for love and fuljoyment but not to prove who gave the wickedest catalog. He could clash Tarrus and Romain Virgo together and send dem home ….and then clash honourable King Shango (Capleton) the same night. And then clash Buju the day after and send home everybody.”
Deemed one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists, Sizzla is noted for his high number of releases with more than 70 albums to date, the most recent being Million Times and On a High .
The August Town native has had numerous lyrical battles over the years, and is known not to shy away from lyrical confrontations. His battles have spanned Khago, Norrisman and to a lesser extent, Bounty Killer.
However, in March this year, he noted that those clash songs aimed at his rivals, were solely for entertainment and artistic purposes and were not applicable to real-life situations or problem-solving.
“When yuh hear wi do a likkle ragamuffin song, gun song, a jus fi di music and di purpose a Dancehall; di purpose a sound clash. Keep it in di music,” Sizzla had said in an Instagram live session.
Capleton, on the other hand, despite his protestations and reservations about participating in VERZUZ, had told Onstage host Winford Williams in September 2019, that clashes have “always been a part of Dancehall”.
“Me is not a clash artiste, but no bwoy can run up inna mi. Mi might no sing certain kinda song, but mi still write dem and have dem just in case if a man run out,” he had declared.