This is the battle we have all been waiting for! After an initial date that was postponed at the very last second a couple weeks ago, the Babyface vs Teddy Riley Verzuz battle finally happened. The 9pm Saturday evening slot couldn’t have come soon enough for fans who had been eagerly anticipating the battle even before the originally scheduled date. Two of the best, most well known, producers, songwriters and artists of the last 3 decades this Teddy Riley vs Babyface battle has easily been the biggest battle orchestrated by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland thus far.
Babyface is an Indianapolis, Indiana native who has had his feet in music since the 1970s. He has released 8 solo albums, and several collaboration projects. He is an 11 time Grammy Award winner and co-founder of legendary R&B record label, LaFace Records, which was home to artists like Toni Braxton, TLC, Usher, Donell Jones and even OutKast.
His solo hits include: “Whip Appeal”. “Tender Lover”, “When Can I See You”, “Every Time I Close My Eyes” and “For The Cool In You”.
As a producer and songwriter however, his hits would probably take a couple days to play all of them. Just to name a few: “End of the Road” – Boyz II Men; “Red Light Special” – TLC, “Roni” – Bobby Brown, “Not Gon Cry” – Mary J Blige, “Breathe Again” – Toni Braxton, “Can We Talk?” – Tevin Campbell, “Count On Me” – Whitney Houston and Cece Winans, and “My My My” – Johnny Gill. That’s if we only do one song by each of those artists.
Born in Harlem, NY, Teddy Riley is the credited founder of New Jack Swing. He has had his hand in Hip-Hop and R&B since the 90s, but he got his start in music doing production for Hip-Hop artists. As an artist, he has released projects as a member of Kidz At Work, Guy and BlackStreet. Hit singles include, “I Like”, and “Let’s Chill” for Guy, plus, “Joy”, “No Diggity”, “Before I Let You Go” and “Fix” with Blackstreet.
Similarly, his production and songwriting credits would take days to go through, but just to name a few: “Make It Last Forever” – Keith Sweat, “Be Happy” – Mary J Blige, “I Like, The Way (Kissing Game)” – Hi-5, “Remember The Time” – Michael Jackson, “Get Me Home” – Foxy Brown, “The Show” – Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew.
There’s just no way that both these men were able to cover all their hits!
Like we have done previously with these Verzuz battles, here’s a round by round break down of the Babyface vs Teddy Riley battle.
Other Verzuz Battles:
| Ne-Yo vs. Johnta Austin | Mannie Fresh vs. Scott Storch | T-Pain vs. Lil Jon
| Dj Premier vs. RZA | Jill Scott vs. Erykah Badu | Nelly vs. Ludacris
| Beenie Man vs. Bounty Killer | 112 vs. Jagged Edge | Kirk Franklin vs. Fred Hammond | Alicia Keys vs. John Legend | Fabolous vs. Jadakiss
| DMX vs. Snoop Dogg | Rick Ross vs. 2 Chainz | Brandy vs. Monica |
Teddy Riley went first to begin things:
Round 1: Teddy Riley – “The Show” – Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew vs. Babyface – “Two Occassions”
This is a classic Hip-Hop record. “Two Occasions” is a great song, but it’s not a classic.
Winner: Teddy Riley
“The Show” – Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew
Round 2: Guy – “Groove Me” vs. Bobby Brown – “Don’t Be Cruel”
Winner: Babyface
Bobby Brown – “Don’t Be Cruel”
Round 3: Hi-5 “I Like The Way (Kissing Game)” vs. Bobby Brown “Every Little Step”
Winner: Babyface
Bobby Brown “Every Little Step”
The battle was stopped after round 3 because of technical difficulties. Will do it again once it is rescheduled.
RESTART
On Monday, the guys picked up and started all over again with the battle. We will start over as well. But the above rounds are still above for your review:
Round 1: Teddy Riley – SWV – “Right Here (Human Nature Mix)” vs. Babyface – Toni Braxton – “Love Shoulda Brought You Home”
Winner: Teddy Riley
SWV – “Right Here (Human Nature Mix)”
Round 2: Keith Sweat – “Make It Last Forever” vs. Babyface – “Soon As I Get Home”
Winner: Teddy Riley
Keith Sweat with Jacci McGhee – “Make It Last Forever”
Round 3: Johnny Kemp – “Just Got Paid” vs. The Whispers – “Rock Steady”
Winner: Babyface
The Whispers – “Rock Steady”
Round 4: Foxy Brown featuring Blackstreet “Gotta Get You Home Tonight” vs. Babyface – “Everytime I Close My Eyes”
Not even fair!
Winner: Babyface
“Everytime I Close My Eyes”
Round 5: Guy – “Piece of My Love” vs. After 7 – “Ready Or Not”
Very very close, but After 7 gets this one!
Winner: Babyface
After 7 – “Ready Or Not”
Round 6: Hi-5 “I Like The Way (Kissing Game)” vs. Bobby Brown “Every Little Step”
Still the winner…
Winner: Babyface
Bobby Brown “Every Little Step”
Round 7: Keith Sweat – “I Want Her” vs. Tevin Campbell – “Can We Talk?”
Winner: Babyface
Tevin Campbell – “Can We Talk?”
Round 8: Guy – “I Like” vs. Karen White – “The Way You Love Me”
Babyface gave this round away…
Winner: Teddy Riley
Guy – “I Like”
Round 9: Heavy D & The Boyz – “Is It Good To You” vs. Tevin Campbell – “I’m Ready”
Winner: Babyface
Tevin Campbell – “I’m Ready”
Round 10: Teddy Riley – “The Show” – Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew vs. The Deele – Two Occasions
So hard, because they are both great records. But “The Show” Is a CLASSIC! So still, the winner…
Winner: Teddy Riley
“The Show” – Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew
Readers Might Also Like:
Round By Round Break Down of The Ne-Yo vs. Johnta Austin Battle on Instagram
Ryan Leslie Sacrificed A Lot To Settle His Lengthy Legal Battle, But He’s Doing Alright
R&B Singers You Should Be Paying Attention To
[INTERVIEW] A Conversation with a Legend – Keith Sweat Reflects On 30+ Years In Music
