21 Savage may be best-known for his Slaughter Gang crew title and dead-eyed, murderous bars, but on Instagram, he’s been known to show his sensitive side, crooning along to ’90s and 2000s R&B hits to the delight of his fans. Likewise, OT Genasis hit it big with his love of the “Coco,” but experienced a resurgence in popularity recently when he covered Keyshia Cole’s hit “Love” and turned it into a Crip anthem. Now, the Long Beach native is challenging 21 for the “King Of R&B” crown with a tongue-in-cheek post covering another R&B classic.
Singing Mariah Carey’s 1995 hit “Always Be My Baby,” Genasis captioned his teasing post by declaring himself “King Of R&B” with an emphatic “period, pooh!” He capped the challenge by tagging 21 Savage, writing “U don’t want no smoke.” The comments were filled with verified accounts declaring their allegiance to one or the other, including Joe Budden, Snoop Dogg, and even Tamar Braxton, who rather than choosing sides, heckled OT with, “At least u singing the queen.”
With hit battles in full swing on Instagram Live, a direct sing-off between 21 Savage and OT Genasis has the potential to be immensely entertaining as both seem to have similar senses of humor, not taking themselves too seriously even though they’re better known for mean-mugging and menacing their way through their gritty catalogs. Someone get Swizz to set this one up.
Watch OT Genasis’ cover of Mariah Carey above.