Royce Da 5’9 and Benzino engaged in a war of words earlier this week which included the former co-publisher of The Source magazine sending several shots at Eminem and challenging Nickle Nine to a Verzuz battle.
On Wednesday (December 30), Benzino tweeted, “I know for a fact my catalogue is better than Royce, somebody set up a versuz, I promise I’ll destroy em’s favorite housen-gga. Take the challenge @royceda59 unless u scared.”
Royce screenshot the post and shared it with his 900,000 Instagram followers, clowning the mere notion of a battle between the two.
“Y’all owe me for these laugh,” he wrote in part. “I want my flowers for these hysterical outbursts during these trying times…this mufuka dun challenged me to a Verzuz battle… He prefaced this with ‘My Catalogue.’ Shut the noise… I better get outta town … Im not worthy…Challenge not accepted but big props to I see booty I see Booty.”
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The post caught the attention of fellow Slim Shady collaborator Joyner Lucas who revealed Benzino had actually DM’ed him with another Verzuz challenge.
“Man dis clown tried to inbox me a few months ago tryna VERZUS battle me too,” Lucas wrote in the comment section. “Idk what nursing home he escaped from but they needa find him and bring him back ASAP.”
The whole thing appeared to kick off on Tuesday night (December 29) after Royce tweeted about the possibility of the former Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star joining the popular audio-only app Clubhouse.
“I can’t wait till Benzino get on Clubhouse,” he wrote.” A Front row seat to the most obligatory pseudo toxic masculine tough guy talk the world has ever seen. Please Clap for this hoe ass n-gga so he can try to move on. He stuck in 06. Thank you… Peace, Peace.”
I can’t wait till Benzino get on Clubhouse. ??♂️ A Front row seat to the most obligatory pseudo toxic masculine tough guy talk the world has ever seen…. ?Please Clap for this hoe ass nigga so he can try to move on. He stuck in 06???? Thank you… Peace, Peace ✌?
— Nickle (@Royceda59) December 30, 2020
That was all it took for Benzino to flex his vocabulary muscle and let the insults fly. Par for the course, he dragged Shady into it and suggested Royce was nothing more than Eminem’s slave — multiple times.
“@Royceda59 you had EMs platform this long and still irrelevant?” he wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “You still ain’t blown? You been sucking his dick so long you forgot that ur an artist too. It wasn’t t long ago when you going at him so now u think n-ggas won’t go at him because of u? U a whole Pussy our here.”
Royce ultimately stepped back from the situation but not without reminding him he allegedly gave one of his own albums a perfect, “5 Mic” rating at his own magazine (although that has been disputed).
“I don’t want no problems with you Mr 5 mics in the source,” he wrote in an Instagram post featuring a video of a greased up Benzino. “The streets know You dangerous when you desperate so Ain’t no telling what lengths you’re willing to elevate this misunderstanding to so put your shell back on and go do karate with the rest of the ninja turtles. I’m a God fearing, Peaceful fully clothed man. Peace Gangsta .. Peace.”