Ed Sheeran hits back at accusation he appropriated grime music to boost career

The musician has sparked controversy over the years for diverting attention away from black musicians while his own brand of bland music tops charts around the world

Ed Sheehan has rejected the suggestion he appropriated grime music to ‘look good’.

The 30-year-old singer-songwriter has become a worldwide chart topping success with his captivating blend of easy listening music.

However, he has been accused in the past by 42-year-old rap star Wiley – real name Richard Kylea Cowie Jr, who was banned from Twitter last year following a string of anti-Semitic tweets – of being a “culture vulture” who utilised the Grime music scene to improve his own status.

Ed – who sparked controversy in 2012 when he was nominated for a MOBO award and again in 2014 for topping the ‘black’ 1Xtra Power List – has hit back at the accusations by the rap star.

Opening up on The Zeze Millz Show on YouTube, Ed said he respects black artists and will gladly feature on their music outputs if they feature on his, explaining: “It’s not just like, ‘You do something for me.’ You always have to balance it.”

Ed argued that Wiley has an issue with him due to a request to move release dates a decade ago.

He said: “We made the Collaborations Project and the deal was, swap for swap.

“I did a song for Wiley called If I Could. But he was going to drop it on the same day as The A Team, which was my first major label single.

“So I said to him, either the week before or the week after. He just basically said I wasn’t allowing him to do it. But it did come out.”

Ed went on, stating: “We weren’t really friends to begin with.

“I’ve always respected his craft and his music but we only really ever created music together. I don’t think there’s a world where we’ll go and have Sunday lunch together every week.”

While Ed and Wiley might not see eye-to-eye, the Lego House singer has been criticised in the past for stepping on the toes of black artists.

Grammy award nominated and chart topping star Labrinth questioned why Ed was nominated for a string of Music Of Black Origin Awards in 2012.

The Let the Sun Shine singer told the Daily Star at the time: “I think it is a bit weird because Ed Sheeran doesn’t make black music… he makes commercial pop.”

He continued: “Even I’m not making black music. It’s commercial music, but at least it is more related to hip-hop so it makes more sense.”

Lab added: “I don’t think it should be called the Music Of Black Origin anymore. It should be Music Of Urban Origin, or just Music Awards.”

Ed was again embroiled in controversy in 2014 when the BBC deemed him “most important UK act in black and urban music” and bestowed him the top spot on the 1Xtra Power List.

Disclosure, the band consisting of brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence, were second on the list while Sam Smith was fourth – with only Tinie Tempah being the highest ranking black artist at number three.

Whiley at the time hit out on Twitter to declare the BBC’s the countdown the “saddest list in music history”.

He added: “Not taking anything away from Ed, he is sick. But black artists in England, we are getting bumped. We influence a man and all of a sudden it turns and he has influenced us.”

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