Music fans are in a nostalgic mood, thanks to the viral Verzuz competitions that showcase the decorated discographies of some of the industry’s most talented artists. As founders and music heavyweights Swizz Beatz and Timbaland run down the list of potential matchups, fans are pitching in with their own ideal Verzuz battles. Hip hop contemporaries Bow Wow and Romeo Miller keep coming up in the conversation, and the stars are ready to step back into the spotlight to tell their stories.
As the Verzuz battles racked up a following after the success of showdowns between top R&B hitmakers (Babyface and Teddy Riley) and the sirens of soul (Erykah Badu and Jill Scott), many began imagining new matchups that would be just as meaningful for the culture. Rapper and actor Bow Wow stepped into the ring, but after learning that Timbaland had doubts about the range of his discography — “He might not have 20 [songs] in the bag,” mused Timbaland at the suggestion — the star pivoted towards a new platform that would highlight his work.
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Bow Wow will be taking fans back to the origins of his music career in a new full-length documentary. The project will see him joining forces with the another artist whose name kept coming up in the Verzuz conversation: Romeo Miller.
“I bet yall never knew that a lil rapper kid by the name of Lil Romeo actually helped save his father’s @masterp empire huh?” Romeo captioned an Instagram video featuring an excerpt from BET’s No Limit Chronicles docuseries. “Just like my pops story, you think you know but you have no idea! My career has truly been unique and on some real life monarchy s*it ha.”
“For the culture, instead of a versuz I already hit Bow Wow @shadmoss to do a documentary, side by side reminiscing on our historic young careers together,” the caption continued. “Stay tuned and this is how we celebrate each other.”
Bow Wow and Romeo were a big part of the early 2000s hip hop scene, especially for the younger generation of fans, and were often pitted against each other because they came up in the same era. Their origin stories are similar; Bow Wow’s relationship with Snoop Dogg led to him becoming the youngest artist ever affiliated with Death Row Records, and Romeo is the son of rapper and No Limit label head Master P. Both musicians also ventured into acting at a young age — Bow Wow with roles in Like Mike, Johnson Family Vacation, and Roll Bounce, and Romeo in Honey and his very own Nickelodeon sitcom Romeo!.
The documentary will see the contemporaries joining forces for the first time in years, a big deal for the fans who remember having posters of both Romeo and Bow plastered on our walls. If Verzuz won't give these two their flowers, no problem — they're going to celebrate themselves regardless.