Legendary R&B producers Teddy Riley and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds were slated for a legendary showdown on Instagram Live on Saturday. Instead, viewers saw a comedy show about an old guy still trying to figure out this 21st-century stuff.
The blame mostly fell on Riley as he struggled to fix the audio on his live feed. As it turned out, the 52-year-old had a live feed that was set up like a concert, making it difficult to play the audio on Instagram.
Teddy Riley Vs. Babyface LIVE on IG via #Verzuz by Swiss Beats & Timbaland https://t.co/AZuAV8B3Lx
— E-Block Radio (@eBlockRadio) April 19, 2020
Swizz Beatz, who organized the battle, said Riley was doing too much.
"Less is more when it comes to Instagram battles," Swizz Beatz said, according to Vulture.
More than 400,000 viewers tuned in to watch the show, CNN reported. Although fans were expecting the stream to start at 9 p.m., the artists were still facing technical difficulties an hour later. The artists then told viewers to come back at 10:30 p.m.
However, the duo eventually suggested postponing the show.
"Due to technical difficulties, we want to do this again," Riley said on Instagram. "It's just like a boxing match. Something goes wrong, we gotta do it again. We're gonna do it again. Please forgive us. We will be back."
While viewers didn't get to enjoy any music, they did walk away with plenty of memes on social media.
All my aunts pissed they wasted a bottle of wine during quarantine because of Teddy Riley. pic.twitter.com/oXXp4LeYIM
— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) April 19, 2020
Teddy Riley vs Babyface, a battle between 2 of greatest producers ever is being ruined by….sigh…(checks notes)… An Echo ????????♂️ pic.twitter.com/ogadCQjZkg
— Tony Bro (@ToneQapo) April 19, 2020
A Brief Summary Of Babyface Vs. Teddy Riley pic.twitter.com/LKeQ6h93Cj
— DJ First Class™ ???? (@1DJFirstClass) April 19, 2020
Some well-known names also weighed in on the debacle.
"Are we really starting over?" Toni Braxton wrote. "I’m sorry I gotta make dinner. This is like watching old folks use Jitterbug phones."
Are we really starting over? I’m sorry I gotta make dinner this is like watching old folks use Jitterbug phones pic.twitter.com/9Fjqm0xxwM
— Toni Braxton (@tonibraxton) April 19, 2020
Comedian Kevin Fredericks shared a video poking fun at the terrible audio.
In the end, it was a show that went so bad it turned out to be enjoyable for some people.
Me waking up looking at last night #TeddyRileyvBabyface tweets all over again. Toni Braxton on Twitter akkin up. Look… It might not gone as wanted but it definitely went how needed. Haven’t laughed this hearty in a min. pic.twitter.com/sMDyBioQlf
— Aaron ✊????????️???? (@flyographer) April 19, 2020
Black Twitter and Toni Braxton won #TeddyRileyvBabyface ????
I have been weak for hours????????????
— TRIZZER (@iamTRIZZ) April 19, 2020
Once the hand went on the hip I know my boy Teddy was done ???????????????? #TeddyRileyvBabyface
pic.twitter.com/OV38B9LeDl— ♑Ashley♑ (@AshleyD1286) April 19, 2020
I can’t stand the internet!! How do they come up with this so fast? Im logging off…#TeddyvsBabyface
#TeddyRileyvBabyface
#imdone
#loggingoff
pic.twitter.com/dhLl7ZjBSQ— TheBeardedNewYorker (@BeardedNYorker) April 19, 2020
????????????♂️ it was unifying, hillarious and still an iconic moment, even with the technical difficulties. #TeddyRiley needs to adopt #Babyface approach on the rematch, ???? less is more. Teddy’s hype man needs to sit the next one out ???? #TeddyRileyvBabyface
— Zukie T (@zee8851) April 19, 2020
According to Billboard, the battle was scheduled for earlier this month but had to be delayed after Babyface tested positive for the coronavirus. Fans will now get to see the two legendary producers battle on Monday night at 8 p.m. EST, assuming Uncle Teddy now understands how everything works.
