🎤 Nelly Says Diddy Couldn’t Beat Jermaine Dupri in a ‘Verzuz’: ‘Wasn’t Gonna Be Close’

The Two Super Producers Were Supposed to Face Off Back in 2023

🔥 Nelly Has No Doubt: JD Would’ve “Murdered” Diddy in a Verzuz Battle

Nelly isn’t mincing words when it comes to a hypothetical Jermaine Dupri vs. Diddy Verzuz battle. The St. Louis rap legend recently stopped by Drink Champs and made it clear—he believes JD would have washed Diddy without a contest.

💬 Nelly: “Respectfully, and outside of current situations… If him and Puff do Verzuz, Puff is gonna get murdered. Easy. Wasn’t gonna be close. Puff is smart; he didn’t want no part. He knew that.”

👀 So why didn’t the battle ever happen? Nelly claims Diddy was hesitant because he didn’t want to step out of his comfort zone:

💬 “Why you think he only wanted to hold Verzuz in New York? J.D. can hold a Verzuz anywhere.”

🎶 The Battle That Never Was – What Happened?

Back in May 2023, Diddy told Busta Rhymes that he and JD were set to face off on September 8 at Madison Square Garden. The Verzuz had been teased since 2020, but for one reason or another, it never materialized.

A year prior, in 2022, Jermaine Dupri himself expressed doubts about the battle actually happening. Speaking with Rory & Mal, JD questioned whether Diddy could even get enough Bad Boy artists to show up.

💬 JD: “It’s a performance-based thing now. The majority of Puff’s records—who’s gonna perform? Yeah, he can bring out The LOX, but you can’t have nobody do Biggie’s verses, and I don’t know if Mase would come out with him no more. I don’t think it would happen based on that.”

JD’s Catalog vs. Diddy’s – Who REALLY Wins?

Nelly also reminded people that JD’s impact runs deep—all the way back to Kris Kross, Usher, Mariah Carey, Bow Wow, Jagged Edge, and more.

💬 Nelly: “When you talk about J.D., you talking about going all the way back to Kris Kross. What is it that he didn’t do?”

Diddy, on the other hand, has legendary hits with Biggie, Mase, Mary J. Blige, 112, The LOX, and others—but much of his catalog relies on the artists he signed, rather than songs he personally created.

🏆 So Who REALLY Would Have Won?

🎤 Diddy’s Biggest Verzuz Weapons:
✔ Biggie – “Hypnotize”
✔ Mary J. Blige – “Real Love”
✔ The LOX – “All About the Benjamins”
✔ Mase – “Feel So Good”

🎹 JD’s Biggest Verzuz Weapons:
✔ Usher – “Confessions Pt. II”
✔ Mariah Carey – “We Belong Together”
✔ Bow Wow – “Like You”
✔ Jagged Edge – “Where The Party At”

Would Diddy’s star power and NYC advantage have been enough? Or does JD’s deeply personal involvement in his hits make him the clear winner?