English singer, Ed Sheeran has revealed that American rapper Eminem helped cured his childhood stutter through songs.
According to the Thinking Out Loud singer, 32, he developed the speech disorder from a traumatising incident that haunted him and it was the rapper’s Slim Shady album in particular that helped him find his voice back.
Ed, who recently won a New York copyright trial for his track Thinking Out Loud, said he began to struggle with his speech after medics once forgot to numb his face while lasering off a birthmark near his eye.
Due to the unbearable pain of the doctor performing the procedure forgetting to inject anaesthetic before proceeding with the laser treatment, it led to Ed’s speech impediment.
His uncle who first introduced him to rapping then bought him Eminem’s CD when he was nine, and it helped cure his stammer.
‘I was going through all sorts of speech therapy,’ Ed said. ‘When I was 9, my uncle bought me The Marshall Mathers LP. He just said to my dad, “This guy’s the next Bob Dylan”.
‘My dad didn’t really clock it, he’s just like, “OK, Edward’s going to go and listen to that”.
‘By learning that record and rapping it back to back to back to back, it cured my stutter,’ he told the host.
After propelling to fame with the hit A-Team, Ed formed a friendship with the rapper and they have collaborated on three songs together.
‘I think it’s different with Eminem because he is quite reclusive, doesn’t see or meet that many people,’ he said.
‘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.’
Ed also recounted one time in 2020 when they performed his 2000 song Stan at Eminem’s Rock and Roll Hall induction ceremony.
The singer was filming a music video at the time when was asked if he could perform in the US.
He said: ‘I can’t say no. I can’t. So, 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.’
