Jay-Z Told Ed Sheeran NO To Working With Him...For The Best Reason

Source: YouTube

You probably think someone like Ed Sheeran doesn’t hear “no” a lot, but that’s exactly what Jay-Z told him when Ed asked him for a verse on a song. That song was “Shape of You” which Ed originally wrote for Rihanna until his label convinced him to keep it and record it. He worked on it a long time perfecting it, and reached out Jay-Z asking him to rap a verse on it. Jay-Z’s response was perfect. Ed told Rolling Stone: “I sent him the song, and he said, ‘I don’t think the song needs a rap verse.’ He was probably right. He’s got a very, very good ear. He usually gets things right. It was a very natural, respectful pass.”

Probably best as “Shape Of You” sat at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks in 2017. Another interesting tidbit, this next album is his last with his label (Warner). He’s not sure how he’ll release music in the future…and is kicking around the idea of doing it independently! And if you see him in concert, you might see a band accompany for some songs. But he isn’t about to let go of his signature stripped down approach with his guitar and loop pedal. “It’s a very common thing within my genre to use a loop pedal, but it’s not a very common thing at the level that I’m doing it at. So why strip away the uniqueness of it?”

One magical thing that just happened at one of his shows in London, he spotted a guy who covers his songs online . . . so he brought him onstage to sing with him! WHAT A MOMENT!