Swizz Beats Reveals A Kanye/Drake Verzuz Was In The Works At One Point

At one point, there was a possibility that Kanye West and Drake’s ongoing beef would play out on the Verzuz stage–but one of them just wasn’t into the idea.

Source: CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images/Adrian Edwards/GC Images / Getty

During a recent interview with Angie Martinez, one of the Verzuz founders, Swizz Beatz, revealed that Kanye was willing to go head-to-head against his longtime frenemy. He and Verzuz co-creator Timbaland weren’t pushing for the battle, though,  saying the pair needed to work things out on their own, if they did want to put on such a show.

“Kanye was willing to do the Verzuz … He wanted to battle Drake,” Swizz revealed during the conversation. “I left that up to them, and that’s what I told to Timb, as well. I was like, ‘Yo, they have to bring that to the table.’ They would have to agree to do that. Kanye was ready, but I don’t know where that’s at now. I’m still leaving it on them.”

Though Kanye probably didn’t want to battle Ye–or do a  Verzuz at all, for that matter–his previous beef with Swizz Beatz also might have something to do with his unwillingness.

While it’s  unclear when Kanye expressed his interest in battling Drake, it seems like the discussions took place before their recent exchange of diss records. Earlier this month, Drake leaked Kanye’s song “Life of the Party” featuring Andre 3000, in which he took shots at the Toronto native and referenced that group chat screenshot in which he warned, “You will never recover.”

“Life of the  Party” came shortly after Drake took a very direct jab at Kanye in Trippie Redd’s “Betrayal,” on which he rapper: “All these fools I’m beefin’ that I barely know/Forty-five, forty-four (Burned out), let it go/Ye ain’t changin’ shit for me, it’s set in stone.”

During his interview with Angie Martinez, Swizz also insisted he has no beef with Drake, despite the shots thrown at him on Certified Lover Boy’s “You Only Live Twice.”

“I’m chilling. A lot of people want to see me react and do all these things, but I’m in such a great zone,” Beatz explained. “I said how I felt, he said how he felt. Hey, man I guess we even. As far as now, I’m good … and I actually like the song.”

He continued, “And he didn’t go too crazy in the record also, you know? He could have said many things, that man is a clever artist. He could’ve really, really, really gave me about 40 bars. He said what he said. He got it off his chest. Blessing to everybody.”

Check out the interview for yourself down below: