Epic beat battle: After Shizzi VS Sarz, here are 5 other producers battles we want to see
Forget about the WWE raw and get excited for Shizzi versus Sarz
Thanks to the world-imposed inside life we’re all experiencing right now, we’re getting a huge surge of people returning to the basics, and creators are creating for hungry consumers. In the comfort of our homes, we get to see artists battle against each other, and the friendly competition is just showing off the amazing talent we have in the industry.
Two of the hottest producers on the scene right now, Shizzi and Sarz have fixed a date and time to face off against each other on their Instagram live. Tonight, the producers will follow in the “Epic Beat Battle” footsteps of hip-hop producers, Boi-1da and Hit-boy as they entertain guests on their IG live with their favourite beats, biggest hits and perhaps some unreleased songs with notable features.
Shizzi and Sarz are among the few Nigerians producers who have paid their dues and are sitting right at the top of the music game without being artists. The celebrity producers managed to carve out special niches for themselves, then gradually build a buzz about the sound till it dominated the mainstream, allowing them keave an imprint. Each producer has worked with an impressive range of collaborators since Sarz broke out with DaGrin’s “Kondo” and Shizzi with “Dami Duro”; Sarz has produced hit songs with 2Baba, Niniola, Mr Eazi and even one for himself, “Good Morning Riddim” while Shizzi has produced songs with hitmakers from Olamide, Wizkid, Chris Brown, Davido, Future and more.
However, the reason they make the perfect matchup is because of the instrumental roles they played in the globally recognised success of Davido and Wizkid respectively. Sarz and Wizkid seem to be displaying more camaraderie than a working relationship these days, which they often flaunt on social media, while Davido’s latest hit “Sweet In The Middle” was helmed by Shizzi. . It was only a matter of time before the two producers got dragged into the whirlwind that is the industry fabricated rivalry between Wizkid and Davido, and tonight, we get to decide in real time as they go face to face, sharing music on their Instagram live.
While we gear up to this, we decided to create a list of other producers we would like to see go head to head. It’s interesting to see that we’re at a point in the industry where we can appreciate their special role in the music
Baby Fresh Vs Altims
Having produced several bangers for many of the Mavin stars, these producers have more than enough in their catalogue to just entertain us without any competition. A battle between them will not only be a robust set, but also a reminder of the Nigerian music scene as it’s grown over the years. Baby Fresh is responsible for hits like Tiwa Savage’s “All Over” to Reekado Banks’ “Problem”, while Altims gave us tracks like Korede Bello’s “Do Like That” & Rema & D’Prince’s “La Vida”. This battle will also be great indication of Don Jazzy’s imprint on the afropop scene right from its very young days, and would be a nice reminder of how far we’ve come.
Rexxie VS Young Jonn
Rexxie and Young Jonn have played a unique part in the Nigerian music scene. Both producers have hit songs with the front runners of the indigenous rap scene, Naira Marley & Olamide respectively, so there’s more than enough evidence of their immense talent.
Whether you’re a fan of Rexxie’s Afro-house samples that transition into the indigenously-inspired Zanku club-music or Young Jonn’s hit songs and reputation as the producer that led YBNL to cult-level fandom in mainstream Nigerian music, a Rexxi versus Young Jonn matchup would be a dream battle fans in Nigeria will appreciate. For extra points, they could give us some unreleased songs from street-hop stars like Naira Marley or Zlatan or Olamide.
Black Coffee VS DJ Maphorisa
These two South African producers have built a reputation for being among the most popular DJs in Africa. They’ve both played a key role in representing South Africa’s love for dance music to the rest of the world – on one side, DJ Maphorisa repurposed EDM into Afro-house and made it mainstream across the continent, while Black Coffee on the other hand constructs Kwaito production with house beats, performs on stages all over the world. Their beat battle will not only be a world music event, it will also expand the nuance of the international genre and gives it an authentically African perspective.
Sam Kleff VS MasterKraft
A Beat battle match between Sam Kleff and MasterKraft will be historic, to say the least. Both producers have a catalogue that boasts of a large portion of Wizkid’s debut tape, ‘Superstar’ and collaborations with throwback stars including Banky W, Sammie Okposo, Stella Damascus, Bracket, J. Martins, Sound Sultan and Busta Rhymes. With the new producers taking over from where they started, Sam Kleff and Masterkraft will be competing for nostalgic points as they serve us with classic songs that soundtrack the past.
Don Jazzy VS Cobhams
Asides the remarkable amount of hits Don Jazzy and Cobhams have pumped out in the last two decades, both have also proven impressive scouts for future talents. Cobhams is credited for producing Asa’s breakout songs “Fire on the Mountain” and “Jailer”, while Don Jazzy produced D’Banj’s “Why Me” and has remained the go-to guy for hits with his label, Mavin (formerly Mo’hits) giving us hitmakers like Tiwa Savage, Reekedo Bank, Korede Bello, Wande Coal, D’Prince, Dr Sid, D’Banj, Rema etc. Having sustained their relevance for so long, you can bet both producers have a stretch of good material to keep fans entertained for hours.
Genio VS Higo
The names, Genio and Higo might not be associated with mainstream hits, but they’ve certainly contributed to making Afropop more marketable for global audiences. But with their production on Santi’s album debut, ‘Mandy and the Jungle’ and Genio’s credits on Odunsi’s ‘rare.’, both producers have laid the blueprint for the next generation of producers.
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