Stormzy has revealed he turned down the chance to collaborate with hip-hop legend, Jay Z.
Speaking on Jonathan Ross, Big Mike explained how he, Jay Z and Ed Sheeran were in the studio together writing for “Take Me Back To London”.
“We were all in the studio writing; me, Ed Sheeran and Jay-Z,” Stormzy said.
“Before that I loved Take Me Back To London because I thought it was just going to be me and Ed and then Ed was like, ‘Jay is getting on it.’
“It blew my mind. Jay-Z is my number one hero inspiration.
“We got into the studio and we were writing for this song and then he just stops the music and he said, ‘Tell me about London, I need some inspiration.’”
Stormzy then goes on to say they had a deep discussion about “black culture, community, music, his journey, my journey”.
However, when Hov’ asked for Stormzy’s opinion on their version of the track, Stormzy answered honestly, telling Jay Z: “I was like, ‘I love this song but you being on the song changes everything.”
“I know how it goes, Mr Z. You are the most brilliant, busy man and I will probably never get this opportunity ever again but hand on my heart, I don’t think this is the right song for us.”
There’s no doubt the collaboration between Stormzy, Jay Z and Ed Sheeran – three of the biggest artists in the world – would have been massive but even without Jay’s input, “Take Me Back To London” still proved very popular with fans.
Stormzy revealed the news during his appearance on Jonathan Ross which will air on ITV1 at 10:10 tomorrow (November 30).