Shape Of You

Ed Sheeran Details Jay-Z’s “Respectful Pass” To Feature On “Shape Of You”

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With a career spanning nearly 30 years, it’s shocking that Lil Baby collected a diamond plaque before Jay-Z. The Brooklyn-born rapper broke a number of records throughout his career, including becoming the first billionaire in hip-hop, though not a single one of his songs or albums have moved 10M units. However, that might’ve not been the case had he accepted an offer from Ed Sheeran to hop on “Shape Of You.” The British singer recently revealed that Jay-Z turned down the record, claiming that it didn’t need rap vocals.

During a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the “Photograph” singer revealed Jay-Z refused to hop on the record, largely because he didn’t think it made sense. However, Sheeran said that it was a “very natural, respectful pass.” “We were in touch,” Ed Sheeran said of his attempt to get a Jay-Z feature. “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.” Eventually, the song landed a verse from Stormzy, who would later decline a verse from Jay-Z, for the official remix.

Jay-Z & Beyoncé Assist Ed Sheeran

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 10: <a href=Jay Z and Ed Sheeran attend Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life – An All-Star GRAMMY Salute at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on February 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)” class=”wp-image-652091″ srcset=”https://editor.urbanlinx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-463168800.jpg 3973w, https://editor.urbanlinx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-463168800.jpg?resize=300,248 300w, https://editor.urbanlinx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-463168800.jpg?resize=768,634 768w, https://editor.urbanlinx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-463168800.jpg?resize=1024,845 1024w, https://editor.urbanlinx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-463168800.jpg?resize=1536,1268 1536w, https://editor.urbanlinx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-463168800.jpg?resize=2048,1691 2048w, https://editor.urbanlinx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-463168800.jpg?resize=1500,1238 1500w” sizes=”(max-width: 3973px) 100vw, 3973px” />
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 10: Jay Z and Ed Sheeran attend Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life – An All-Star GRAMMY Salute at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on February 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Though Jay-Z turned down a collaboration with the British pop star, Beyoncé previously assisted on Ed Sheeran’s single, “Perfect.” However, the power couple’s impact on Ed Sheeran is far deeper than his career. During an interview with Apple Music 1, he explained that Jay-Z and Beyoncé played a role in his relationship with his now wife, Cherry Seaborn. He explained that Jay and Bey invited him to dinner after a show in Brooklyn, where Seaborn actually joined them for dinner.

“I learned [‘Empire State Of Mind’] for a Live Lounge. And then Jay-Z and Beyoncé came to a gig that I did in Brooklyn,” Ed Sheeran recalled. “It was like the day after we’d had our first date. And she was there with my friend Martha and this guy, Foy Vance. So we went to dinner and then we went to this bar and I remember a guitar was getting passed around between me and Foy. And I remember playing that [‘Empire State of Mind’]. Five of us in a room with Jay-Z and Beyoncé. I gave Beyoncé a Jägerbomb.” 

[Via]

Spotify Has A New Most-Streamed Song Of All Time, Ending Ed Sheeran’s No. 1 Run Of Over Five Years

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Ed Sheeran 2022 Radio 1's Big Weekend
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The top ranks of Spotify’s most-streamed songs of all time don’t change too often. The last time we got a new song at No. 1 was in September 2017, when Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You” passed Drake’s “One Dance” to become the new champion. Sheeran’s hit had about 1.3 billion plays at the time and since then, it became the first song to pass 2 and 3 billion streams on the platform.

Meanwhile, The Weeknd released “Blinding Lights” in November 2019 and it has been making its way up the list since then. Now, it has found the very top: On the evening of December 31, 2022, Chart Data noted that “Blinding Lights” had passed “Shape Of You” to become the most-streamed song in Spotify history. As of this morning (January 2), “Blinding Lights” has 3,332,163,962 streams and “Shape Of You” has 3,332,016,196.

As for other songs that perhaps have a shot at someday taking over No. 1, Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” is the most-played 2020 song with about 2.2 billion streams, The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” is the top 2021 hit with 2.3 billion, and Harry Styles’ “As It Was” is currently the only 2022 song in the all-time top 100, with 1.7 billion.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.