"Shape of You" is the kind of song where, really, you don't find yourself thinking, Hey, this would be a lot better if it had a rap verse on it. And yet! Ed apparently had other ideas while he was in the studio.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the pop superstar revealed that he initially reached out to none other than Jay-Z to see if he wanted to contribute some magic to the tune.
Ed explained that he'd sent the song to Jay because they'd already been "in touch."
"He said, ‘I don’t think the song needs a rap verse,'" Ed recalled — and, you know what, these days he finds himself agreeing with Jay.
"He was probably right. He’s got a very, very good ear. He usually gets things right."
Ed described Jay's passing on the track as "a very natural, respectful pass" — which, I mean, yeah. What are you gonna do, be disrespectful toward Ed Sheeran?!?! What's the point?
