Wyclef Jean Explains Why Will.i.am Is The Only Artist He Wants To Do A “Verzuz” With

The Verzuz bug strikes again. It’s clear that Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, and their entire Verzuz team have a hit series on their hands, and we’re sure that when they open outside back up for the U.S., we’ll see a Verzuz tour roll out. Until that time, millions of music fans will just have to continue to tune into Apple TV and Instagram for their friendly battles, the next of which will host 2 Chainz and Rick Ross. During a chat with Talib Kweli for his People’s Party podcast, Wyclef Jean revealed that he’s open to doing Verzuz, and he has one particular artist in mind.

Slaven Vlasic / Stringer / Getty Images

“I was approached, definitely, and it’s so funny, I have a freestyle that I did and then they took the freestyle and they put it on Verzuz,” Wyclef shared. “I think, for me, the person who resembles me the most in the background with the studio that I fully know that they do is probably like, will.i.am. For multiple reasons.”

Wyclef not only said that will.i.am was like a little brother, but Clef also added that he was responsible for producing one of Black Eyed Peas records before Fergie joined the group. “Will strategically was like that nerd like me,” Wyclef added. “He’s the guy behind the schemes so for me, he’s incredible. For me it’s more—it’s not about hit songs or whatever. It’s about the mechanicals, the little things that people don’t see. I think they’d probably be shocked with the amount of information.”

The Fugees icon recognized that people wanted to see him do a Verzuz with someone like Akon, but he said with an artist like Akon “we’d just be singing songs.” With will.i.am, Wyclef said that viewers would “see how records are broken down and done.” Watch his clip from the People’s Party with Talib Kweli below.