When Babyface pulled an ace out of his sleeve, a live version of “When Can I See You Again” accompanied by his acoustic guitar, the confounding genius of Teddy Riley was apparent with his answer, Blackstreet’s “Before I Let You Go,” surely one of the best records of his career. There was also a degree of disorganization about Riley’s set-up with numerous staffers hovering in the background - showing scant regard to social distancing - technological issues and Teddy being pulled in all different directions that didn’t allow him to focus 100% on the task at hand. Riley was eager to get through his catalog, not stopping to chat and inquire about Babyface’s own experiences - though his admiration for Babyface was clear early on - but instead trying to keep to the loose, competitive notion of the event. Babyface was humble, deferential and inquisitive about his opponents’ songwriting and producing prowess, asking Riley about his experiences in producing Michael Jackson and at one point saying, “You brought a movement. Another Babyface song, “Everytime I Close I My Eyes” kept things in a romantic mood and was matched by with Guy’s “Best Of My Love.”īoth producers’ personalities started to show through as the event progressed. The Whispers’ “Rock Steady”, Foxy Brown Featuring Blackstreet, “Gotta Get U Home”.
Bayface’s own “Soon As I Get Home” was matched by Johnny Kemp’s “Just Got Paid.” By now everyone was wallowing blissfully in music nostalgia, the soundtracks to a collective youth. Keith Sweat’s immortal “Make It Last Forever” followed - from an album that changed the face of R&B in 1987. Babyface revealed that MJ once asked him for Halle Berry’s phone number to ask her out on a date, before playing “Love Should Have Brought You Home,” by Toni Braxton from the “Boomerang” soundtrack (in which Berry starred). Riley set a high watermark, the remix of SWV’s “Right Here”, featuring that unmistakable Michael Jackson “Human Nature” sample. The streets against radio, pavement versus penthouse. The music itself was an ode to some of the best songs written over the past three decades. Eventually, it would be the sheer numbers of people watching that overwhelmed Instagram sliding the event from its technological tracks. It threatened to derail the occasion after an hour of impossibly great music. Two days later it appeared he had forgotten to charge his phone and confusion ensued in finding a charger, while the ever patient Babyface, sat alone behind his mixing board in a red velvet jacket with a glass of red wine.
The original date, Saturday April 18, had to be abandoned a few songs in after horrific echoes and distortion drowned out the music - it didn’t help that Riley and crew tried to put on a full show including choreography, rather than simply play his hits from a laptop. Like any epic fight there had to be a villain and in this case it was Teddy Riley’s technological gremlins. The concept, dreamed up by producers Timbaland and Swizz Beats: two producers play their hits in turn on Instagram Live trying to best the other, in a good natured way. A ’90’s R&B superfest, musically speaking, it was the Tyson vs. With over half a million people watching including, apparently, Michelle Obama and every music industry dignitary imaginable - artist, producer, songwriter and executive alike - Monday’s rescheduled Teddy Riley- Babyface battle was the most epic “Verzuz” challenge to date.