Let’s call it The Uptown Showdown. Yonkers-born rhymers are taking on the kings of Harlem in what is sure to be an epic Verzuz battle. It’s so big, in fact, The LOX vs. Dipset is happening at Madison Square Garden. 

The show was announced Wednesday via social media post, and immediately, appreciators and critics alike shared their mutual excitement. 

Members of hip-hop groups The Lox and Dipset (Photo: Getty Images)

“LOX vs Dipset at MSG? I might faint that night,” Rory & Mal Podcast co-host Rory Farrell shared on Twitter. 

“Winner of Dipset vs Lox gets a trophy like this #VERZUZ,” longtime hip-hop scibe-editor Jayson Rodriguez chimed in, sharing a GIF of a spinning Timberland boot. 

“I know I’m from the west, but this Dipset and Lox Verzuz bout to be everything!” wrote TDE Music artist Reason. 

The Lox versus Dipset Verzuz battle-show is all set to take place at the legendary Madison Square Garden inside its Hulu Theater, a smaller venue within the arena. 

The Lox — Sheek Louch, Styles P and Jadakiss — have plenty of songs to challenge their Empire State counterparts. The trio is fresh off the loss of their Ruff Ryders labelmate, DMX, with whom they made several hits, including one of their biggest singles, “Money, Power & Respect,” which also featured Lil Kim. 

Dipset rappers Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Freekey Zekey and Juelz Santana were just trending this past Fourth of July as their song, “Dipset Anthem,” has been called the only anthem real hip-hop heads recognize. 

In December of last year, Jones shared on The Joe Budden Podcast that the only crew he thought Dipset should face in the now-celebrated music battle was The Lox, noting they had “a lot of camaraderie, a lot of good energy, a lot of energy to bounce off each other.”

“Cam, Jadakiss and Styles P literally started the same year to get into this game off of freestyles and things like that,” Jones told Budden and then-podcast co-hosts Farrell and Jamil “Mal” Clay. “We represent the uptown part of New York City. We represent the culture for New York City. We’ve been pillars in this industry for the past 20 some odd years, along with the whole Ruff Ryders enterprise.”

More than anything, the upcoming event will be the closest Verzuz thing has come to a true hip-hop battle — face-to-face, before an attentive audience — and true hip-hop fans appear to be here for it. 

Tickets for the The Lox – Dipset Verzuz go on sale today at noon on MSG’s website. Fans who aren’t trekking to NYC can watch on Triller or FITEtv apps or on Verzuz’s Instagram on Tuesday, August 3rd, beginning at 9pm EST.

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