Timbaland and Swizz Beatz settle ‘VERZUZ’ lawsuit with Triller
Timbaland and Swizz Beatz have settled their recent lawsuit with Triller following claims of non-payment after the sale of their VERZUZ series.
In August this year, the US producers sued Triller for $28million (£23million), claiming that the video platform owed them £23million and had been defaulting in previously agreed payments.
The rights for popular entertainment series VERZUZ – which pits musicians, songwriters and artists against each other in a head to head rap battle style – were sold to video-sharing platform Triller last year.
In the lawsuit seen by Billboard, it claimed that while the pair received payments as planned in January and April 2021, a payment that was due in January this year had still not arrived.
A new payment plan was reportedly agreed, but money from that allegedly still did not come through.
Now, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz have announced a settlement in a press release shared today (September 22). “Verzuz has always been a platform that is by the artists, for the artists and with the people,” they wrote in a statement (via Pitchfork).
“We’re glad to come to an amicable agreement with Triller and continue giving fans the music and community that they’ve come to know and love from the brand.”
No financial details of the settlement were revealed.
Diddy previously offered his support for Timbaland and Swizz Beatz shortly after news of the lawsuit broke.
“Since we ain’t fuckin’ with [Triller] no more, since they’re fuckin’ around with our boys, we don’t need to be going against each other,” Diddy said to So So Def founder Jermaine Dupri (per Rolling Stone). “Let’s come together and do that Bad Boy-So So Def in Atlanta. It ain’t no Verzuz, it’s just hit-for-hit.”
VERZUZ was co-founded by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz in March 20202 during the pandemic, hosting battles like Nelly vs. Ludacris and Snoop Dogg vs. DMX.
Previously speaking about VERZUZ to NME, Timbaland said: “Well, it’s not really a battle – it’s a celebration of our heroes in music, the ones who make us feel a certain type of way. Given what’s currently going on in the world, it’s a way to give back.
“It’s also an education, it’s educating people on the music, its creators and where this feeling comes from.”