UPDATED 1/13/20 9:42 p.m. ET: Ashanti and Keyshia Cole's Verzuz match will take place on Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. ET. The announcement was shared with the note: "Thank you everyone for being patient with us. We can't wait for this magical night with Keyshia and Ashanti!"
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Ashanti and Keyshia Cole’s Verzuz battle has been delayed once again.
Verzuz’s official Twitter account made the announcement on Friday, citing Wednesday’s events in Washington D.C. and surging COVID-19 cases as the rationale for postponing the event.
“This has been an emotional week,” Verzuz wrote. “In addition, as COVID-19 numbers continue to increase, safety is a top priority for us. As much as we enjoy having everyone together in the same room, to protect the artists and everyone who works with us in putting the shows together, we’ll be going back to separate locations for a bit.”
The platform also wrote that Ashanti and Cole’s face-off is “coming soon,” with no exact date announced.
Verzuz revealed that the two singers would battle in early December to the joy of Ashanti and Cole fans. However, just a week later, the battle was postponed after Ashanti tested positive for COVID. Instead, E-40 and Too Short closed out the year for Verzuz, battling each other on Dec. 19.
She later shared on Jan. 2 that she’s virus-free: “Feeling grateful,” Ashanti captioned her Instagram announcement. “My parents and I got our negative results back right in time to start off the New Year healthy, happy & loved. Wishing y’all all an Amazing 202WON.”
Verzuz launched its series on IG Live in response to the pandemic and the subsequent dearth of live performances. In the beginning, the two battling artists would go head-to-head in their homes or another separate location. Later, the platform moved its series to in-person events, where the two artists would gather in the same room for their face-off.
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