Ed Sheeran Explained Why Jay-Z Turned Down A Verse On "Shape Of You," And I Honestly Get It

Real talk: Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" is an absolute banger, zero notes.

"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.

And Jay-Z...turned it down.

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?

Anyway, check out more from the interview here.