This remix sees Sir Spyro revamp the instrumental and recruit grime heavyweights Jaykae and Aitch to represent the two biggest cities outside of the capital. The track opens up with Ed Sheeran singing the inspirational chorus before Stormzy spits in his usual assertive flow, describing his growth as an artist whilst representing his area “We were younger then, now we’re unified, South London boys get you crucified.” Ed jumps in with bars of his own, silencing his critics and proving that he’s not just a pop singer but a talented versatile artist. He too speaks of his growth but explains that he’s also down to earth “Give me a packet of crisps and my pint, hit my friends up, go straight to the pub, cos I haven’t been home in time.”

Stormzy and Ed Sheeran go back-to-back with bars before the second chorus commences. Jaykae cuts the chorus short as he represents for his hometown Birmingham, his braggadocio verse speaks on his come up and the luxury items he has acquired but can also be found in a pub. With eyes being on London when it comes to grime, Jaykae unapologetically lets you know where he’s from “Rep blues when I’m here, it’s Brum, fam are you dumb.” Since coming onto the scene, Aitch has continually expressed he’s not a trap rapper and lets his talent speak for itself whilst accumulating a strong fan base. Reiterating this statement on the track with his jumpy flow he raps, “I came for first place, made a change to get paid, fam I stayed in my lane and came with that flame.”

Directed by Manchester’s KC Locke and shot around London, Manchester and Birmingham, the creative visuals capture the essence of British culture. The video begins with Stormzy riding shotgun as Ed Sheeran drifts a Rolls Royce Cullinan in an empty field, they wear matching grey tracksuits from Stormzy’s latest collaboration with Adidas. They perform their verses standing back-to-back in a high-end suit store whilst a tailor measures them up for a perfect fit.

Jaykae starts his verse surrounded by a circle of biker boys riding a mixture of ATV’s and dirt bikes. The scenes cut between him, Aitch and Ed drinking and having a good time on a red interior tour bus to the Birmingham rapper standing amongst friends at the pool table of a pub. Jaykae’s verse ends abruptly as Aitch is seen toasting Ed Sheeran whilst they sit side by side in a traditional English café drinking a cup of milky tea. Given Ed’s global exposure these scenes all encompass British culture and give his international fans a taste of how the U.K do it.

Since its release, grimes godfather Wiley has taken aim at Ed Sheeran labelling him a “culture vulture” for jumping on a grime track for “exposure” that’s clearly unneeded given his current success. Stormzy was quick to respond to these comments stating, “Ed been doing this from early, been a real one from early, can’t question that.” Jaykae also came to Ed’s defence saying, “I’ve looked up to you for over a decade. But you’re moving like a wasteman” whilst tweeting a clip of his verse on the track where he raps “You could be 40, you don’t wanna war me, end of story, you’re gonna get spun” clearly sending shots at the grime OG.

I’m happy for you Wiley. I tell people all the time recently that you look like your in a good space after looking like you was having a mid life crisis on social media. Your killing it. I’ve looked upto you for over a decade. But your moving like a wasteman. Safe pic.twitter.com/HJTaaTp8gJ

— Jaykae (@Jaykae10) August 24, 2019

You can watch the visuals to ‘Take Me Back To London (Sir Spyro Remix)’ below.

Speaking to Pollstar, Stuart Camp, Ed’s manager, said. “What Ed has accomplished is truly incredible, I thought we might have a shot at having the highest attendance record but not the highest grossing tour”.  

Speaking about U2 and the record the Dublin based band had once set, Camp said. “I’m not putting us at that level because they’ve obviously maintained their career for much longer, but to even be in the same ballpark as them or spoken in the same sentence with a touring act like that is very humbling.”

The tour, named after Sheeran’s third album has gained another feat, now officially the most attended tour of all time, with in excess of 8 million people from 43 countries attending Ed’s shows, with an attendance averaging at 34,541 people. This record also beats U2’s own, set at 7.3 million.

Away from the touring scene, the Suffolk singer recently released his latest album, ‘No 6. Collaborations Project’, featuring artists including 50 Cent, Eminem, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars and Cardi B. Two singles lifted from his fourth musical effort, ‘Beautiful People’, (his Khalid collaboration), and ‘I Don’t Care’ featuring Justin Bieber, are currently sitting at number two and three on the Official Singles Chart Top 100 respectively.

The ‘A Team’ singer posted through his Instagram, “Thanks so much for each and every one of you who have come to a show. 12 shows left, will never forget it”. According to the Official Albums Chart Top 100, the singer’s fourth album still remains at number one, marking it’s third week on the top spot.

The star-studded lineup includes artists such as Cardi B, Young Thug and Bruno Mars. To the delight of hip-hop fans, Eminem and 50 Cent will also be making an appearance, the first time they’ve featured on a song together since 2012 for 50 Cent’s single My Life with Adam Levine. But it’s not all American, Ed Sheeran has also recruited the best from Britain with Stormzy, J Hus, Dave and Ella Mai all appearing on individual tracks on the project.

View this post on Instagram

#No6CollaborationsProject out 12th July. Link in bio x

A post shared by Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos) on Jun 19, 2019 at 4:05am PDT

Ed Sheeran hasn’t been the type to shy away from working with artists’ from different genres, showcasing his musical versatility and knowledge of popular culture. The 15-track album will serve as a sequel to his No. 5 Collaborations Project EP that was released in 2011, which included Grime heavyweights Wiley, P Money, Wretch 32 and more.

His last album, ÷ became the best selling album in the world for 2017 which sold a staggering 672,000 copies in the U.K in its first week and has achieved BPI 11x Platinum status as of 2019. The 16-tracks featured on the album dominated the Top 20 Singles Charts, even prompting a reassessment on how sales are calculated and limited chart entries to three songs per artist.

The singer/songwriter is bringing his world tour to the U.K in August 2019, announcing six outdoor shows – two at Leeds’ Roundhay Park and four at Ipswich’s Chantry Park.

No. 6 Collaborations Project tracklist below:

1. Beautiful People (Ft. Khalid)
2. South Of The Border (Ft. Camila Cabello & Cardi B)
3. Cross Me (Ft. Chance The Rapper & PnB Rock)
4. Take Me Back To London (Ft. Stormzy)
5. Best Part Of Me (Ft. Yebba)
6. I Don’t Care (Ft. Justin Bieber)
7. Antisocial (Ft. Travis Scott)
8. Remember The Name (Ft. Eminem & 50 Cent)
9. Feels (Ft. Young Thug & J Hus)
10. Put It All On Me (Ft. Ella Mai)
11. Nothing On You (Ft. Paulo Londra & Dave)
12. I Don’t Want Your Money (Ft. H.E.R)
13. 1000 Nights (Ft. Meek Mill & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie)
14. Way To Break My Heart (Ft. Skrillex)
15. Blow (Ft. Bruno Mars & Chris Stapleton)