GOSSIP & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Verzuz, the pandemic brainchild of Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, is at the center of a $28 million lawsuit.

Source: Paras Griffin / Getty

After its 2020 debut on Instagram Live, the music battle series was marred with technical difficulties but it eventually became a well-oiled machine and that well-oiled machine was sold to Triller for a hefty amount. The Verzuz matches got bigger and streamed directly on Triller and the partnership seemed to be fruitful for both sides.

Now, however, things have gone left.

Timbaland & Swizz Beatz Sue Triller For $28M Over Allegedly Defaulting On Verzuz Sale Payments

After Swizz and Timbaland’s seemingly seamless Verzuz sale to Triller, there’s trouble in music battle paradise. According to Billboard, the heralded music producers are suing Triller for $28M for allegedly defaulting on payments from the sale.

“Defendants have failed and refused to respond to plaintiffs’ written notice and demand for payment,” the pair’s lawyers wrote in the complaint. “To date, defendants have failed and refused to make any payment to Mosley and Dean of the past due sums due and owing, and defendants continue in default of their payment obligations.”

Triller responded to the allegations and the company seems to be caught off guard by the lawsuit, even dubbing it a “misunderstanding driven by lawyers.”

“We do not wish to air our dirty laundry in the press, but we have paid Swizz and Tim millions in cash and in stock,” the company wrote. “No one has benefited as much from Triller to-date. Triller has helped fuel Verzuz to new heights – making it the global cultural phenomenon it is today. We hope to resolve this amicably and quickly, and truly hope it’s just a misunderstanding. If we are forced to defend it, we are more than optimistic the truth and facts are on our side.”

Triller has been under fire as of late for allegedly stiffing Black content creators on their pay as well.

Hopefully, Swizz Beats and Timbaland’s Verzuz lawsuit isn’t just another chapter in the story of Triller’s downfall.