Third time’s a charm!
After much anticipation, Ashanti and Keyshia Cole kicked off the first Verzuz battle of 2021. The R&B divas originally had an in-person battle that was scheduled for Dec. 12, but it had to be postponed after Ashanti tested positive for coronavirus. The battle was then rescheduled for Jan. 9 but with COVID cases on the rise, Verzuz decided to push the battle back again but did not provide a new date at the time. However, the series did announce the battles would go back to being virtual just as they had been when the series started at the beginning of lockdown.
On Jan. 21, the long-awaited battle finally happened, although it did start over an hour late, causing fans to take to the internet and make memes. When the battle finally did kick off, the R&B veterans blessed fans with their hits like “Foolish,” “I Should’ve Cheated,” “Mesmerize,” “Heaven Sent, “Rain On Me,” and “Last Night.”