Watch: Ed Sheeran Lets Out The Rapper In Him With Eminem’s ‘Criminal’
We have all known Ed Sheeran is a man of many talents, but the British singer has a knack of surprising his fans every now and then!
Ever since he wrapped up his mega-tour Down Under, Ed has pretty much disappeared from the face of social media, and we’ve attempted to get to know what the “Thinking Out Loud” singer has been up to. Conscious of his own sabbatical, Sheeran has not made many public appearances in the intervening period, fueling speculations that he might be recording his new album or even writing some new songs.
It is possible Ed Sheeran needed the break to fuel his own creative spirits. After all, staying on the tour for so long — and consequently always under the public eye — might drain out some of the unfathomable energy he seems to possess, and it is only natural that Ed decided to go on a break when he did.
But being the star he is, Ed couldn’t always stay away, could he?
On Tuesday, after having stayed in the dark for so long, Ed Sheeran finally decided to make a public appearance during an interview with French media outlet Clique. Although Sheeran was pretty much himself during the entirety of the interview, he seemed more shy than usual — even by his standards.
But the high point of the interview arrived when the interviewer asked him if he liked rap, and Ed nodded his head in agreement. So the interviewer asked him if he would like to sing something for the audience, and do you know what he sang?
Eminem’s “Criminal”!
Well, Ed Sheeran only performed a couple of lines acapella from Eminem’s infamous song, as Complex reported, and although it was not something that might take your breath away, it was nonetheless a decent effort from the master of pop.
Watch the video where Ed lets out the rapper in him below.
https://www.facebook.com/Cliquetv/videos/1076621922383164/?permPage=1
Ed Sheeran has previously cited a number of rappers, including Eminem, as inspirations. Speaking to XXL Magazine in 2014, Sheeran had said that Eminem’s “Stan” is his favorite rap song of all time.
“Number one is ‘Stan,’ Eminem. Just because I think having a seven-minute song about suicide being No. 1 around the world is a pretty impressive feat. And it’s just a very [great] song.”
But he has never really intended to rap at all himself, except in this instance, so it would be safe to assume Ed was only messing around. If and when Sheeran decides to take a plunge into rapping, he might find a few takers. Probably Eminem wouldn’t feature on that list, though!
The song itself is an old one from Eminem, which originally appeared on his third album, The Marshals Mathers LP, from way back in 2000. “Stan” had also appeared on the same album, and it is evident it had a huge impact on a 9-year-old Ed Sheeran at the time of its release.
What do you think of Ed’s performance? Do you think he had a rap struggle, or do you think he was quite good?
Meanwhile, Clique’s entire interview with Ed Sheeran is expected to drop on February 12.
[Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images]
