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Ed Sheeran

We all have one reason or another behind our love for Ed Sheeran.

It could be derived from a deep appreciation for Sheeran’s Ron Weasley-esque facial features, his unforgettable performance with Elton John at the Grammys, or his ability to casually sell out Madison Square Garden in three minutes. But if you’re a true Ed Sheeran fan, odds are you’re a sucker for his hip-hop covers.

Sheeran has been listening to rap music for quite some time now, but probably not for the reasons you’d initially think. The truth is, the artist had a port-wine birthmark lasered off his face when he was very young; one day, the doctors forgot to put the anesthetic on, leaving him with a severe stutter. Rap music helped him get rid of it.

He said:

“My Uncle Jim told my dad that Eminem was the next Bob Dylan – it’s pretty similar, it’s all just storytelling – so my dad bought me The Marshall Mathers LP when I was nine years old, not knowing what was on it…”

Sheeran added:

“I learned every word of it, back to front, by the time I was ten.”

Now, let’s take a look at some of our favorite Ed Sheeran hip-hop covers. Here’s Sheeran’s take on “Know Yourself” by Drake performed live at his show in Toronto on Sunday, June 7th.

Instagram Photo

Sheeran’s vocals are so smooth, they somehow make “CoCo” by O.T. Genasis sound classy. Seriously, I’d let him perform this cover at my very extravagant, very top-of-the-line wedding.

Let’s not forget how he made us feel drunk in love, with his cover of Beyonce’s “Drunk In Love.” 

If you’re gonna “have a go” at his covers, you have to give his rendition of “Empire State Of Mind” by Jay Z feat. Alicia Keys a listen. Confirmed: the lyrics still sound like “concrete jungle wet dream tomato” in a British accent.

Here, Sheeran covers Blackstreet’s “No Diggity,” which he somehow manages to pit against Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop.” I’ve never wanted to shoot the sh*t with him more than I do in this very moment, after just listening to this magical arrangement of musical goodness. You can quote me on that.

This is one of my personal favorites – Ginuwine’s “Pony.” Shout out to the cameraman who pulled off some pretty impressive and very intense zooms in this vid. Thanks to he or she, I now know the exact number of pores on Ed Sheeran’s nose and could probably tell you anything and everything you’d ever need to know about any of his facial matters.

Let’s wrap it up on a high note with Ty Dolla’s “Paranoid.”

And a compilation featuring everything from R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix),” to DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win,” to Jay Z’s “99 Problems.”

And last but not least, he killed a cover of Fetty Wap’s mega hit “Trap Queen.”

SOURCE: Gossip Cop | PHOTO SOURCE: Getty | VIDEO SOURCE: YouTube

Why Do We Root For Ed Sheeran? Because Of His Hip-Hop Covers, Obviously  was originally published on globalgrind.com