Swizz Beatz & Timbaland Honored at 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards – Billboard

On Tuesday night (Oct. 10), Swizz Beatz and Timbaland received the Rock The Bells Cultural Influence Award at the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta. 

The hip-hop luminaries were on hand to accept the award for their cultural contributions to hip-hop and boundless creativity. “I always dreamed I’d be on stage accepting an award about hip-hop. Doing music back in Virginia, I never thought I’d make it, but I’m here,” began Timbaland. “Me and my brother created something special, and it ain’t over. Black-owned, Verzuz, me and Swizz Beatz. I’m glad to share this with my brother.”

Swizz doubled down on Timbo’s sentiments and agreed that Verzuz was far from finished, noting that they had more tricks under their sleeves. “Like Tim said, we own Verzuz again. We got quiet for a minute, but we’re gonna come back strong and show you what it is. That wasn’t just something for the pandemic; that’s something for the world,” said Swizz. 

Verzuz curated many prominent battles over the last three years, including square-offs between Brandy and Monica, Jeezy and Gucci Mane, The LOX and Dipset and more. 

In an interview with Billboard earlier this year, Swizz Beatz teased that Verzuz was undergoing a restructuring process. “What we’re doing right now is taking the first half of the year to reorganize,” he said last March. “It became so big that we had to restructure how we were doing things, how we’re moving, how we want to relaunch. We feel that it’s so unique that when we come with what we’re getting ready to come with, people will understand me and Tim’s decision on how to move as entrepreneurs and as creatives. And hopefully, it will be a blueprint for people on how to do things.”