Are You ‘Just Kickin’ It’ ‘Right Here’ at Home for SWV Verzuz Xscape This May?

Well, it looks like Mother’s Day weekend plans are sealed!

On Wednesday, the Mother’s Day battle that Verzuz teased this past weekend in its upcoming lineup announcement was confirmed: It will be none other than SWV (aka Sisters With Voices) vs. Xscape!

That’s right, the ladies of SWV (Cheryl “Coko” Gamble, Tamara “Taj” Johnson and Leanne “Lelee” Lyons) and Xscape (Kandi Burruss, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, LaTocha Scott and Tamika Scott as the quartet that most know them, though I do acknowledge Tamera Coggins-Wynn, who left the group a year after they formed) will be facing off with their ‘90s hits on Saturday, May 8th at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET via the Triller or Instagram apps. The fact that it’ll be happening on Mother’s Day weekend is fitting, especially since the members of both groups are all mothers in their own right.

Right before the official announcement, LaTocha seemed to confirm swirling rumors about the ‘90s R&B battle to TMZ.

This announcement also comes at a cool time because the lockdown-special event is currently celebrating its one-year anniversary—it was March 2020 when Swizz Beatz and Timbaland went on Instagram and did the very first-ever iteration of a Verzuz battle.

Of course, since then, the popular event has evolved with huge acts, huge venues and even a recent acquisition.

Naturally, fans started to shout-out their picks, discuss their planned hairstyles/outfits and more.

While reveling in the nostalgia and excitement is great, we can’t ignore the elephant in the room. As The Root Staff Writer Ishena Robinson reported earlier this month, Tiny and her husband, Clifford “T.I.” Harris Jr. have recently had several sexual assault allegations made against them by 11 women, including detailed accusations of rape, drugging and kidnapping that stem as far back as 2015 and as recently as 2018.

“These allegations are nothing more than the continuation of a sordid shakedown campaign that began on social media and now attempts to manipulate the press and misuse the justice system,” the couple’s lawyer Steve Sadow said in a statement responding to the allegations at the time. The detailed accusations that emerged this month are in addition to the nearly 30 women, including the couple’s former friend Sabrina Peterson, who put a spotlight on the abuse allegations via her social media page. Tiny and T.I. threatened to take legal action against Peterson following the news.

Though T.I. took to his social media to address the allegations when they first surfaced earlier this year, the couple hasn’t spoken further about the claims directly; any subsequent comments have been through their attorney. With regard to the upcoming Verzuz event, Tiny did post a promotional flyer on her Instagram page and T.I. did the same on his.

Some fans did raise questions and concerns about Tiny’s involvement in the upcoming event.

The Root has reached out to representatives for Swizz Beatz, Timbaland and Triller Network for comment on the matter regarding Tiny.