The strange way Eminem helped Ed Sheeran
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The strange way Eminem helped Ed Sheeran

Musically, Ed Sheeran and Eminem couldn’t be further apart. Sheeran acts as the softly-spoken, loveable embodiment of kindness. In contrast, Eminem plays the rude, disagreeable, vulgar antagonist. However, they often say opposites attract, and recently the British pop star has opened up about his affinity for the Detroit rapper and even revealed a strange way in which the emcee (real name Marshall Mathers) helped him.

In a recent appearance on the Howard Stern Show, Sheeran disclosed the little-known fact that, as a youngster, he had a severe stammer. In 2015, the guitarist opened up about his childhood experiences for the American Institute for Stuttering’s annual Freeing Voices Changing Lives Gala. During his speech at the event, the ‘Shivers’ act revealed how an anaesthetic mishap during a laser surgery he had as an infant led to his condition. However, while recently speaking with Howard Stern, he explained that his stammer disappeared thanks to Eminem. 

Blown away by this revelation in Ed Sheeran’s recently released documentary, Howard Stern said, “This whole story of you being emotional about meeting Eminem, you would basically imitate Eminem and do his rapping, which got you out of stuttering! It’s crazy!” Reflecting on the events with Stern, Sheeran explained, “It’s a funny one that because when I was nine, I was going through all sorts of speech therapy, and when I was nine, my uncle bought me The Marshall Mathers LP.and by learning that record and rapping it back to back to back to back, it cured my stutter!” 

Sheeran and Mathers have since worked with the Detroit emcee asking him personally to perform ‘Stan’ alongside him at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Reflecting on the legendary performance, Sheeran recalled he was shooting a music video when he received a phone call asking him to perform. He admitted following the shoot, “I got a plane straight after my music video, flew there for the song, and then that night flew back. It was really worth it.”

Speaking on his current relationship with the ‘Lose Yourself’ emcee, Sheeran disclosed, “I think it’s different with Eminem because he is quite reclusive, doesn’t see or meet that many people,. I’ve known him now six years, and we’ve done three songs together. I’ve played with him twice on stage. He’s another person I really relate to, as he lives in his hometown still and has his ecosystem around him.” You can watch the ‘Shape Of You’ artist’s Howard Stern interview in the video below.