In what was seeming to be the battle of all battles, iconic producers Babyface and Teddy Riley announced Sunday that they would be postponing their Instagram Live R&B battle.
While many assumed the highly anticipated battle was canceled because one of the songwriters backed out due to heated pressure, Riley cleared up any rumors and misconceptions about what went down earlier this week.
“There is no backout,” he told Charlamagne tha God on Instagram Live. “Nobody is backing out. Babyface is moving forward, he’s not actually 100%. He’s been sick.”
He continued, “We pulled back because we really want this done right. We don’t want the [feed to stop after an hour on]…Instagram. That’s the main reason why.”
For any Instagram Live session, it’s limited to one hour. Afterward, the feed stops. Previously many artists, including the battle between T-Pain and Lil Jon on Saturday night, simply continued once people logged back on.
Riley hinted that the battle with now happen on “a new system” and fans will be able to “swipe up” to watch live.
“The company that I’m a partner of, I thought that this is something that would be great for them to take this to another level,” he added.
In addition to wanting to use a more enhanced technology, Riley and Babyface wanted celebrity mediators.
“We both have the respect for each other and that’s the one thing that’s plus. That’s my big brother,” Riley said.
Swizz Beatz, who has been managing the music battles along with Timbaland, first announced the postponement via his Instagram page.
“The date is changed, but keep your outfits on deck because the new date is coming back ASAP,” Swizz wrote early on Sunday. “We’re taking the quality to the next levels for these 2 Kings. You will understand later, trust me.”