Who Is The Only Person Akon Thinks Could Challenge Him In A Verzuz Battle? Hint: Its Not Even A Living Person
The Verzuz content from the rap world has been, in my opinion, hands down the best thing to come out of the pandemic. Its like the hypothetical arguments you used to have with your friends about which rappers have better bars or which producers have better beats come to life. Theres a few people out there with so many goddam hits though, I think they are almost unbeatable in a battle. Akon is one of those guys. If you include his features and hooks along with all his own platinum singles, I think hes got a catalog of 20 songs that can only be matched if he plays his set list correctly. Everyone remembers his smashes like Locked Up and Soul Survivor. His bangers like Smack That and Sexy Bitch. His pop hits like Sweet Escape and Just Dance. His MASSIVE mainstream hits like Lonely and Blame It On Me. But then you dig deeper in the crate and get I'm So Paid. Bartender with T-Pain. Dangerous with Kardinal Offishall (Body Bounce if you wanna go with an even deeper cut). You got Baby Im Back with Baby Bash. Dont forget the DJ Lantern remix of Ghetto with Biggie and Pac. Body on Me with Nelly. Almost any song off Freedom. Fuck, I'd close out my set with I Just Had Sex for fun if I was Akon. Just dancing on my opponents grave with a joke song that most people probably like more than other artist's actual songs. Just no contest.
And apparently, Akon agrees. We asked him who he thinks could even challenge him in a Verzuz battle and he flat out said nobody. Not even in a cocky or arrogant way. Just a logical, thought out, rational answer. Like math. 2+2=4. Akon's catalog in a Verzuz = W. The only person who Akon said would even have him worried in a battle is MICHAEL FUCKING JACKSON. Thats just an absolutely preposterous statement to make being entirely serious.
Now I am an absolute Akon STAN (I'll be voting for him for president one day and buying a house in his own Wakanda "Akon City." Not a joke, listen to the interview), so I will admit I was drinking the Kool Aid in the moment. T-Pain vs Akon is a good battle. Nate Dogg from beyond the grave would be a great showdown. Drake could probably beat him. If you wanted to do an apples to oranges Verzuz, Lil Wayne and Jay could beat him. But the point is that when Akon says that basically zero of his contemporary singers could beat him in a battle, hes really not lying.
That level of success is simply unimaginable. In an industry FILLED with the most talented entertainers on earth, Akon was just like "Meh. I'm better than all them." Crazy.
Also do yourself a favor and listen to the full interview. We talk WAY more than just his music. Politics, economics, getting sued, starting your own city, discovering Gaga. Just BOSS shit.
