The Verzuz battle that nobody thought was for real until Swizz Beatz and Timbaland confirmed the 2000s teenage star entertainers Soulja Boy and Bow Wow on the schedule for Saturday (June 26).
The playful trolling and social media jabs were done as Big Draco and Bow Wow finally took the stage at an undisclosed Los Angeles location for the latest installment of Verzuz Live, with Soulja Boy’s red Lamborghini on the line.
Over 600,000 fans came through to check out the show on the VerzuzTV Instagram, many draped in their vintage Soulja Boy sunglasses and Calvin Cambridge Knights jerseys. The Verzuz matchup caps off a major weekend for Bow Wow, who also reprised his role in Fast 9 as Twinkie, with the blockbuster hitting theaters on Friday (June 25).
For as chaotic of an event as it was, the Bow Wow-Soulja Boy Verzuz will go down as one of the more memorable and enjoyable nights in the Triller series’ history, which set records for guest appearances — ranging from DJ Paul to Romeo — and had one song played three separate times.
Even though Soulja Boy and Bow Wow seemed to lose track of rounds and not reach the targeted 20, check out our scorecard below.
Round 1: Soulja Boy’s “She Make It Clap” vs. Destiny Child feat. Bow Wow, Da Brat & Jermaine Dupri’s “Jumpin, Jumpin (So So Def Remix)”
Big Draco kicks off the night with his 2021 TikTok hit “She Make It Clap,” which reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Triller Chart in April. Bow Wow takes the stage replicating the look from his first album, with braids and a Cleveland Browns Tim Couch jersey. The Ohio native replies with a brag that he’s worked with Beyoncé and one of the legendary R&B groups with his first of many remix verses throughout the battle.
WINNER: Bow Wow
Round 2: Soulja Boy’s “Turn My Swag On” vs. Chris Brown’s “Run It (Remix)”
Soulja references how Beyoncé actually sampled him for “Hold Up,” before turning up the heat a few notches with 2008’s “Turn My Swag On.” Bow attempts to respond, but the So So Def rework isn’t even the most popular “Run It” remix. Akademiks also enters the building representing for team Soulja Boy, and Bow Wow tells him to “stay in his place.”
WINNER: Soulja Boy
Round 3: Soulja Boy feat. Sammie’s “Kiss Me Thru the Phone” vs. Bow Wow feat. Xscape’s “Bounce With Me”
Chris Brown allegedly turned down the opportunity to sing the hook on “Kiss Me Thru the Phone,” which would turn out to be a move he probably regrets. “KMTTP” is still in DJ playlist rotations over a decade later and reached No. 3 on the Hot 100. Fans get their first dose of comedy when Soulja Boy makes fun of Bow Wow’s acting career. “I don’t act, everything real,” he quipped about his lifestyle.
WINNER: Soulja Boy
Round 4: Soulja Boy’s “Pretty Boy Swag” vs. Bow Wow feat. R. Kelly’s “I’m A Flirt”
“I’m a Flirt” actually landed on Bow Wow’s fifth studio album The Price of Fame as a bonus track before the disgraced R&B singer repackaged the tune for a more commercially successful run by having T.I. and T-Pain join him on the remix. Still, it’s given heavy competition here with Big Draco’s chest-puffing anthem “Pretty Boy Swag,” which cracked the Hot 100’s top 40 in 2010.
WINNER: Bow Wow
Round 5: Soulja Boy feat. Nicki Minaj’s “She Make It Clap (Remix)” vs. Bow Wow feat. Chris Brown & Johnta Austin’s “Shortie Like Mine”
These next two rounds become wasted bullets for Soulja Boy and free points for Bow Wow. Soulja elects to play a “She Make It Clap” remix featuring vocals from Nicki Minaj, but she admits on Twitter it was just a drop she recorded for the event rather than a full-blown verse. Bow Wow proceeds to take a nap in the middle of the stage.
WINNER: Bow Wow
Round 6: Soulja Boy feat. French Montana’s “She Make It Clap (Remix)” vs. Bow Wow feat. Snoop Dogg’s “That’s My Name”
For the third time in six rounds, Big Draco breaks out his “She Make It Clap” hit, but this time, he brings on French Montana to perform his verse live for the fans — who weren’t really too enthused to see the Coke Boys frontman. Bow Wow pokes Soulja about not having enough records to hang with him for 20 rounds, so he has to recycle tracks.
WINNER: Bow Wow
Round 7: Soulja Boy’s “Yahhh!” vs. Bow Wow feat. Birdman’s “Let’s Get Down”
Soulja Boy gets back into the swing of the Verzuz battle by picking up a bottle of Ciroc and obliging when Bow Wow proposes they take a celebratory shot of alcohol to break up the battle. “Let’s Get Down” served as the first single Bow Wow released without the Lil’ in front of his name in 2003 and even had a solid run on the charts.
WINNER: Bow Wow
Round 8: Soulja Boy’s “I Got Me Some Bapes” vs. Bow Wow feat. Omarion’s “Girlfriend”
“I was the first rapper to wear Bape,” Soulja Boy insists, even regardless of whether or not it’s factual. Either way, Bow Wow shows his Millennium Tour running mate some props by hyping up the “I Got Me Some Bapes” bassline.
WINNER: Soulja Boy
Round 9: Soulja Boy feat. Shawty Lo & Gucci Mane’s “Gucci Bandana” vs. Bow Wow’s “Take Ya Home”
As comedian-actor Haha Davis put it best in the comment section, “We all wanted to be Bow Wow at this time.” Coming off of Like Mike, where “Take Ya Home” lived on the movie’s soundtrack, Bow Wow was one of the coolest teenagers on the planet and had a life just about everyone would’ve traded theirs with.
WINNER: Bow Wow
Round 10: Soulja Boy’s “Donk” vs. Huey feat. Bow Wow & T-Pain’s “Pop, Lock & Drop It (Remix)”
Bow Wow demands DJ Akademiks actually be Soulja’s DJ for the rest of the battle, and he’ll give him $20,000. Ak takes the reigns but the former college DJ is rusty. He’s fortunate a track like “Donk” can’t even be swayed by technical issues.
WINNER: Soulja Boy
Round 11: Nicki Minaj feat. Soulja Boy’s “Yasss Bish” vs. Bow Wow’s “Basketball”
One of the more lopsided victories of the night. “I gotta tap into Calvin Cambridge,” Bow Wow says channeling his role in 2002’s Like Mike where he led the fictional Knights to the NBA playoffs. This was the first track Bow Wow ever wrote for himself and definitely gave him even more confidence to continue flexing his pen. Big Draco did have some fun banter when he said Bow Wow should be “hosting this s–t” after Bow referred to himself as Mr. 106 & Park.
WINNER: Bow Wow
Round 12: Roscoe Dash & Soulja Boy’s “All the Way Turnt Up” vs. Jagged Edge feat. Bow Wow, Nelly & Jermaine Dupri’s “Where the Party At (Remix)”
Being the innovator he is, Soulja Boy extended his run into the new decade with the release of “All the Way Turnt Up” at the top of 2010. The ubiquitous track was inescapable and the song’s title became a catchphrase — while receiving a ton of remixes from Lupe Fiasco, Machine Gun Kelly, and more.
WINNER: Soulja Boy
Round 13: Trey Songz feat. Soulja Boy & Gucci Mane’s “LOL :)” vs. Bow Wow feat. T-Pain’s “Outta My System”
Soulja Boy is on Bow Wow’s nerves by this point. He and Akademiks make sure to play the song’s entirety where it takes minutes just to reach Soulja’s verse, which infuriates Bow Wow. As avid rap fan Big Biz put it on Twitter, “Lol :)” is a “Blackberry BBM classic.”
WINNER: Soulja Boy
Round 14: Soulja Boy’s “Let Me Get Em” vs. Dem Franchize Boyz feat. Bow Wow, Jermaine Dupri & Da Brat’s “I Think They Like Me (Remix)”
Bow Wow attempts to turn the Verzuz battle into a Bow Wow and friends concert with the So So Def army serving as his reinforcements. He calls on his mentor Jermaine Dupri and Da Brat to join him on stage along with Dem Franchize Boyz’s Pimpin’ to perform the “I Think They Like Me (Remix).”
WINNER: Bow Wow
Round 15: Drake feat. Soulja Boy’s “We Made It” vs. Three 6 Mafia feat. Bow Wow & Project Pat ‘s “Side to Side (Remix)”
“How you never did a song with Drake,” Soulja jokes with Bow Wow. A Drake collaboration has been a secret weapon in Verzuz battles and it works here. Soulja linking up with the 6 God was a moment in Hip Hop for the 2010s and takes the slight win over Bow Wow bringing out Three Six Mafia’s DJ Paul for a surprising guest appearance. The only thing missing was Drake to show up — and he commented on Instagram that he would’ve for sure if Soulja asked him to pop out.
WINNER: Soulja Boy
Round 16: Lil Romeo’s “2-Way” vs. Bow Wow feat. Mike Jones’s “Fresh Az I’m Iz”
This is where the Verzuz battle took a turn nobody could’ve been expecting but it made for a heartfelt moment. Romeo showed up with the No Limit army in basketball jerseys performing one of his early standouts with “2-Way.” Romeo initially threw his name in the ring for a possible Verzuz battle, but this cameo will have to do.
“It shouldn’t have took 20 years to be here,” he says of being on the same stage as Bow Wow. Romeo then bizarrely compared Bow Wow to being the “Michael Jordan of this era” while naming Soulja Boy as LeBron James and deeming himself the late Kobe Bryant.
WINNER: Tie
Round 17: Soulja Boy’s “Crank Dat” vs. Bow Wow feat. Omarion’s “Let Me Hold You”
Bow Wow could’ve just thrown up the white flag here, as there’s nothing in his arsenal that’s going to match the monstrous tidal wave of “Crank Dat.” Soulja Boy broke out into the signature dance where he still remembers the moves with ease and the Verzuz comes to an early close after round 17. No matter when or where this song gets played, there is sure to be at least someone that will dance along until the end of time.
WINNER: Soulja Boy
BONUS ROUNDS
Overtime: N/A
Scoring the overtime wouldn’t be fair since Bow Wow snuck in his Ciara-assisted banger “Like You” without any response from Soulja Boy. They performed their “Marco Polo” collaboration together before giving each other their flowers.
“My brother, you deserve every inch of respect. I never planned on doing a Verzuz,” Bow Wow admits. Soulja then credits Bow Wow for inspiring him to give music a shot and change his entire life. While lighting another blunt, Soulja Boy also reveals his Big Draco album is due out on July 28.
Biggest Snub: Soulja Boy’s “Report Card” (point Bow Wow)
A huge miss from Soulja Boy here to not shoot off his Souljaboytellem.com deep cut “Report Card.” This would’ve served as a nice filler instead of playing his “She Make It Clap” track three times in the first six rounds.
Best Banter: Tie
The playful back-and-forth provided some of the best entertainment of the night. Whether it was Big Draco calling Bow Wow “Lil Pee Wee” or Bow Wow making fun of Soulja Boy for thinking he’s the first to do everything, they definitely got laughs out of the audience. With Bow Wow’s acting history and Soulja Boy being one of rap’s internet pioneers, the duo knows how to play off one another.
Wider Catalog: Bow Wow
Bow Wow was deep in his bag and looked to make a point about his longevity and versatility in the rap game with his song selection. He made sure to remind everyone about collaborations in the stash with Three 6 Mafia, Destiny’s Child, Huey, Mike Jones and Birdman.
Biggest K.O.: Soulja Boy
Bow Wow’s round 11 could go here as well when he landed a haymaker with “Basketball” but there’s just no competing with Soulja Boy’s global anthem “Crank Dat.”
People’s Champ: Bow Wow
The crowd’s consensus looks to be Bow Wow pulling the upset and taking home the victory with ease, but Soulja Boy provided some quality entertainment as well and deserves his respect. Our final score probably isn’t indicative of how close this battle actually was.
FINAL SCORE: Bow Wow, 11-9-2
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