Too Short pitches a two-on-two Verzuz team-up with rapper E-40

Too Short has pitched a two-on-two Verzuz matchup that would pair him with fellow Bay Area rapper E-40 against another duo, rather than face E-40 again, HotNewHipHop reported on August 3, citing an interview with the Associated Press. "We did one in 2020, but it wasn't a battle. We had a good time. We did a lot of laughing, a lot of togetherness," Too Short said of their prior appearance.

"I didn't want to battle 40 then, and I don't want to battle him now. That's my best friend in Hip Hop," Too Short said. "I'd sign up for me and 40 against anybody. That'd be fun. They haven't had two groups," he added, before putting the challenge out directly: "Who wants to battle Too Short and E-40 in Verzuz?"

Verzuz began as a livestreamed, split-screen battle format during the COVID-19 pandemic and has since grown into live productions with elaborate staging. Too Short and E-40 previously appeared on Verzuz together in 2020 in a matchup that leaned more toward celebrating each other's catalogs than competing, and the pair have spent decades helping define West Coast rap and the Bay Area's sound, following E-40's recent single with Busta Rhymes.

Too Short's pitch would be a first for the series, which has not staged a two-on-two matchup. Whether Verzuz founders Swizz Beatz and Timbaland take up the idea remains open, and if they do, the next question would not be whether Too Short and E-40 can share a stage again, but which duo is willing to stand across from them.