Rock The Bells recently got the chance to sit down with legendry Bronx emcee Canibus as he promotes his forthcoming studio album, Kaiju, his first solo project back since his 2015 album Time Flys, Life Dies... Phoenix Rise. The album’s second single, “Verzuz,” finds the emcee shouting out countless emcees in a light-hearted competitive track. 

When we asked Canibus who he would step into the Verzuz ring with, he said he would love to face off against Queens emcee and Drink Champs host, N.O.R.E. “I feel like N.O.R.E. would be a good candidate because, I really like what he’s been doing over the years, man. And he’s still a dude that got busy on the mic for the most part. You know, he had classic albums and a lot of slang that he birthed,” Canibus explained. “There’s a lot of talent to have come out of Queens.” 

There is one Queens emcee that Canibus says is off-limits for him. When asked if he would battle his former rival, LL COOL J, he admitted he was no match for the recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.

“Lemme put it to you like this, L, he just got inducted into the Hall of Fame. I wanna congratulate him for that, that’s a gargantuan achievement,” Canibus explained. “You can live a couple of lifetimes and not be able to even get outside the door. I ain’t on L’s level with that.”

Canibus’ upcoming album, Kaiju, is set to drop on Friday, December 10. Be sure to check out the project and stay tuned for more classic hip-hop news.