Singer Ed Sheeran reveals that he asked Jay-Z to contribute a guest verse to his hit Shape Of You but the rapper turned him down

In an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone, Ed Sheeran has disclosed that he had approached Jay-Z to feature on his hit single Shape Of You but the rapper declined the offer. Sheeran stated that he initially sought the 53-year-old musician to contribute a verse to the track but was turned down by Jay-Z. According to Sheeran, Jay-Z believed that the song did not require a rap verse, a decision that proved to be accurate as Shape Of You has become Sheeran’s most successful song since its release in 2017. The hit single spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and achieved Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), signifying sales and streaming of at least 10 million units. Additionally, Shape Of You has emerged as one of the most-streamed songs on Spotify and earned Sheeran a Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance.