Ed Sheeran recently shared his deep-rooted appreciation for rap music, revealing his all-time favourite albums and the genre’s significant impact on his life, per hiphopdx.com.
During an appearance on the show “GOAT Talk” with actor Barry Keoghan, the global pop superstar cited a trio of iconic albums from the Aftermath/Shady/G-Unit era: 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin‘, The Game’s The Documentary and Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP. The singer explained that he could listen to any of them “in any scenario.” Keoghan also picked 50 Cent’s classic album, prompting a story from Sheeran about listening to it with his father in Italy.
Sheeran also praised the music of British artistes like Skepta, Dave, Wretch 32 and Stormzy, noting their influence on him. His connection to rap music is deeply personal; he has previously spoken about how listening to Eminem’s music helped him overcome a stutter as a child. Learning to rap the lyrics to Eminem’s records back-to-back “cured” his speech impediment.
The mutual respect between Sheeran and the rap world is clear. 50 Cent has praised Sheeran’s acoustic rendition of “In Da Club,” reposting a video of the performance and giving it his stamp of approval. Busta Rhymes also showed his support, leaving fire emojis in the comments. This reciprocal admiration highlights Sheeran’s authentic connection to the genre, which goes beyond casual fandom.
•Featured image: Ed Sheeran/Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
