Joe and Donell Jones have been announced as the next Verzuz pairing, HotNewHipHop reported on August 12, bringing together two singers whose biggest records helped define R&B's late-1990s and early-2000s run. The event is expected to take place on August 20. Jones let the news slip backstage at the Wine & Slow Jams Festival in Maryland, saying "for me, it's not really a Verzuz. It's a celebration."
Jones broke through after signing to LaFace Records, releasing his debut My Heart in 1996 before his defining album, Where I Wanna Be, led by the title track and "U Know What's Up," a top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit featuring TLC's Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes that also spent eight weeks atop the Hot R&B chart. He also co-wrote Usher's early single "Think of You," contributed to 702's "Get It Together," and had a hit of his own covering Stevie Wonder's "Knocks Me Off My Feet."
Joe arrives with a broader commercial catalog built on "All the Things (Your Man Won't Do)" and "Don't Wanna Be a Player" in the 1990s, followed by the mainstream breakthrough My Name Is Joe. "I Wanna Know" became one of his signature records, and "Stutter" with Mystikal gave him another major hit; his voice also reached hip-hop audiences through Big Pun's "Still Not a Player" and pop listeners through "Thank God I Found You" alongside Mariah Carey and 98 Degrees.
The Recording Academy has nominated Joe seven times, including for My Name Is Joe, "I Wanna Know" and the later album Better Days, giving him plenty of obvious records to draw on. Verzuz outcomes, HotNewHipHop noted, have rarely come down to chart numbers alone, since a deep cut can carry more weight in the room than a bigger single sitting next to it.
The matchup extends a Verzuz season that has already moved through both R&B and hip-hop, following Tank against Tyrese in March, Rick Ross against French Montana in May, B2K against Pretty Ricky in June and YG against The Game in July. The pairing sits within R&B and soul, the genre both singers built their careers in.
The facts
- Joe and Donell Jones are set for a Verzuz matchup expected August 20
- Jones called the night a celebration, not a grudge match
- Jones's defining album was Where I Wanna Be, led by U Know What's Up
- Joe has been nominated by the Recording Academy seven times
- The pairing follows Tank vs. Tyrese, Rick Ross vs. French Montana, B2K vs. Pretty Ricky and YG vs. The Game
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