Ed Sheeran & Barry Keoghan Reveal Their GOAT Rap Albums: ‘This Is Genius’

Ed Sheeran and Barry Keoghan teamed up for an episode of Complex’s GOAT Talk on Wednesday (Aug. 20), and when it came to their greatest rap albums lists, they aligned with some millennials’ favorites.

Keoghan immediately went with 50 Cent’s classic 2003 debut Get Rich or Die Tryin’. “I mean I love Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” the actor said. “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.’”

More from Billboard

Sheeran had a laugh recalling that he listened to the album with his dad during a recent trip to Italy, where he championed 50’s brilliance with tracks such as “If I Can’t.” “I listened to that weirdly with my dad the other day,” he shared. “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.’”

Elsewhere, Sheeran kept his choices in the Aftermath/Shady Records/Interscope family, going with The Game’s The Documentary, Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP and Dr. Dre’s 2001. “I can put them on in any scenario,” he noted.

As far as their favorite rappers ever go, Ed Sheeran kept it in the U.K. with Devlin, Skepta, Wretch 32 and JME, while Keoghan added Storzmy and Dave.

“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,” Sheeran explained. “And I understand British rappers more. I can relate to Stormzy’s tunes more than I can relate to whoever.”

On the music side of his own, Sheeran is gearing up to release his Play album on Sept. 12, which includes singles “Azizam,” “Sapphire,” “Old Phone” and “A Little More.”

Watch Sheeran and Keoghan debate their favorite rap albums below.

Best of Billboard

Sign up for Billboard’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.