Donell Jones and Joe turned their latest VERZUZ matchup into a celebration of their decades-long careers, bringing some familiar faces along for the ride.
During Thursday night’s “R&B Nights” battle, Jones surprised fans by bringing out 702 to perform “Get It Together,” the 1996 hit he wrote and produced for the group. The song marked 702’s debut on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later certified gold.
Joe had a major surprise of his own. After running through collaborations with artists including Mariah Carey, Nas and Big Pun, the R&B singer brought out 50 Cent for their 2003 collaboration “Wanna Get to Know You.” 50 also joined Joe for “Big Rich Town,” best known as the theme song for Power. Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda also joined the Queens rapper onstage.
The guest appearances came as both artists leaned into their extensive catalogs rather than treating the night like a traditional rivalry. Jones had made that clear ahead of the battle, saying he viewed the event as “a celebration” rather than a competition filled with back-and-forth jabs.
“We grown ass men. We both have two great catalogs. We’re going to treat it as such,” he said.
The sentiment carried into the rest of the show, which featured live fan voting throughout the night. Joe got off to a strong start, winning the first four rounds with songs including “Don’t Wanna Be a Player” and “If I Was Your Man.” Jones picked up his first round win with “This Luv.”
Jones’ 702 performance came in Round 7, where he answered Joe’s “More & More” with “Get It Together.” Fans ultimately gave Joe the edge in that matchup, voting 63% for him compared with 37% for Jones, according to Complex’s official scorecard.
Joe went on to absolutely dominate the overall voting, winning the battle 18-2.
The matchup is part of the latest chapter of VERZUZ under Complex and Apple Music. The partnership launched at ComplexCon Las Vegas last year with a Cash Money vs. No Limit showdown and has since featured matchups including Tank vs. Tyrese.