Ed Sheeran and Barry Keoghan Reveal Favorite Rap Albums

What do Ed Sheeran and Barry Keoghan have in common, aside from being at the top of their fields, one writing and singing heart-melting ballads, and the other stealing the spotlight on screen? Turns out, they’re both massive hip-hop heads, and yes, their taste in rap is seriously impressive.  

In an episode of Complex’s GOAT Talk on Wednesday, August 20 (via Billboard), Sheeran and Keoghan revealed their greatest rap albums lists.   

Keoghan went with the classics: 50 Cent’s 2003 debut Get Rich or Die Tryin’. The Dunkirk actor said, “I mean, I love Get Rich or Die Tryin’. You know when you have the pressure of people listening to your playlists, you’re like, ‘I’m gonna throw this on because everyone gets with it.’” (Who would like to bet he’s got one or two Sabrina Carpenter songs on his playlist?)  

Sheeran shared a funny anecdote about the same album, recalling he listened to it on a trip to Italy with his dad: “I listened to that weirdly with my dad the other day. I was topless with a beer in my hand, explaining to him how great ‘If I Can’t’ was because it’s not a full eight-bar chorus. It’s, like, six bars. I’m like, ‘This is genius.'”

Of course, a musical mind like his never takes a holiday, so even while vacationing in Italy, he can’t help but notice the technical aspects of a track he’s listening to.  

The two also talk about their favorite rappers, with Sheeran offering a philosophical take about it: “If you go to France and you say, ‘Who’s the best rapper?’ They’re gonna say a French rapper. You go to Germany, do the same thing. And I understand British rappers more. I can relate to Stormzy’s tunes more than I can relate to whoever.”   

The “Perfect” singer named Devlin, Skepta, Wretch 32, and JME as his favorite rappers, while Keoghan mentioned Stormzy and Dave.  

Sheeran is set to release his eighth studio album, Play. The album’s lead single, “Azizam,” was released on April 4, followed by “Old Phone,” “Sapphire,” and “A Little More” (You might have heard of it; it featured Rupert Grint in the music video after his 2011 appearance on Sheeran’s “Lego House.”)  

Keoghan, on the other hand, is set to appear in Sam Mendes’ Beatles biopic as Ringo Starr.