Ed Sheeran has a history of doing acoustic hip hop covers. The British soul singer has performed songs by everyone from Rihanna to O.T. Genasis to Ty Dolla $ign. However, his latest cover might be his best yet. The “Bloodstream” singer has teamed up with The Roots to do an acoustic cover of Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen,” as a Tonight Show web exclusive.
As usual, Sheeran delivers a mighty cover that makes you give “Trap Queen” a double take or even a triple take. While most R&B covers of hip hop songs lean on humor or nostalgia, Ed usually takes door number three, expressing his genuine and unexpected affinity for the music and culture. He imbues the lyrics with power and depth you probably bypassed for the booming baseline of the original. Even lyrics such as, “I’ll run in your house / And I’ll f**k your ho,” come off as earnest and soulful. Well, as earnest and soulful as breaking and entering and adultery can be.
Throughout the clip, Questlove tries to maintain his composure over the absurd awesomeness of Sheeran’s cover, finally laughing towards the end. Of course, this is what Ed does. He takes your favorite hip hop track and does a blue-eyed soul version that you can't help but give mad props to. He doesn't try to be something he's not, but he brings everything that he is, his own style and an undeniable charm to the productions.
