Honestly, the first time I heard that Ed Sheeran was dropping a track with Eminem and 50 Cent, I thought it was a prank. It felt like a weird fever dream from 2003 that somehow leaked into 2019. But then you look at the remember the name lyrics ed sheeran put together, and it starts to make sense. It isn't just a pop star trying to play dress-up in baggy jeans. It’s actually a pretty vulnerable "receipts" track where a guy who sells out stadiums reminds everyone he started as a "misfit" from a tiny town.
Why This Collab Actually Happened
Ed Sheeran didn't just buy these verses. He basically manifested them. He’s been vocal about how Shady Records was his entire personality when he was 14. He told Charlamagne Tha God that he was just a geeky kid in school, and the idea of rapping next to Slim Shady was laughable.
The stars aligned in a dressing room at Wembley. Ed walked in, 50 was there, Eminem was there, and Ed basically pitched the dream. It’s "wish-fulfillment" at its peak. He’d already done "River" with Em, but this was different. This was a "posse cut."
The Ipswich Connection
One of the most specific bits in the remember the name lyrics ed sheeran wrote is the reference to his hometown. He raps about growing up "10 miles from the town of Ipswich."
It’s kind of a hilarious flex.
📖 Related: The A Wrinkle in Time Cast: Why This Massive Star Power Didn't Save the Movie
Think about it: you have a track with the biggest rapper from Detroit and the king of New York, and then there’s Ed repping a quiet English town in Suffolk. Ed even joked that Eminem probably has no idea where Ipswich actually is. But that’s the point of the verse. He’s saying he was never the "sick kid" or the cool one. He was the one people told to "stick to singing" and stop rapping "like it’s Christmas."
Breaking Down the Verses
The song is structured like a timeline of success. If you look at the flow, it isn't just random bragging.
- Ed Sheeran covers the "come up." He talks about being 20 years old, entering the game, and the irony of people thinking he’d never be great.
- Eminem handles the "struggle of staying at the top." He gets technical—surprise, surprise—with those multi-syllabic rhymes. He even throws a jab at skinny jeans, which is a very "angry dad" Marshall Mathers move.
- 50 Cent is the "victory lap." His verse is all about the "Fendi drip" and "Buscemis with locks on it." It’s pure 2000s-era luxury rap.
That "Skinny Jeans" Line
Eminem’s verse has this weirdly specific rhyme scheme:
"If rap was skinny jeans, I couldn't do anything in 'em / I'd be splitting seams of denim when I'm spitting schemes." It’s vintage Em. He’s obsessed with the idea that modern rap is too "tight" or restricted, whereas he needs room to move (lyrically speaking). He also mentions he feels "like Ed," referring to the hook where Ed says it isn't time to "call it a day." It’s a rare moment of a guest artist actually listening to the lead artist's lyrics and responding to them directly.
The Production Controversy
The beat is a total throwback. It was produced by Shellback, Max Martin, and Fred again.. (before Fred became a global superstar). It’s got that staccato guitar and a "stomp-clap" rhythm that feels very 2001-era Dr. Dre.
👉 See also: Cuba Gooding Jr OJ: Why the Performance Everyone Hated Was Actually Genius
Some critics hated it.
Alexis Petridis from The Guardian called it jarring. Others felt like 50 Cent’s verse was "phoned in." But for fans of the No. 6 Collaborations Project, it was a nostalgia bomb. It wasn't trying to be a 2019 trap song. It was trying to be the song Ed Sheeran wanted to hear when he was a teenager.
What Most People Miss
People get hung up on the "rapping Ed" persona. They find it "cringe." But if you actually listen to the remember the name lyrics ed sheeran delivered, he's being remarkably honest about his privacy.
He says, "I'm a private guy and you know nothin' 'bout my business."
✨ Don't miss: Greatest Rock and Roll Singers of All Time: Why the Legends Still Own the Mic
This was around the time he was transitioning into marriage with Cherry Seaborn. He even mentions her ("My wife wears red, but looks better without the lipstick"). It’s a song about guarding his life while the world tries to "twist" his lyrics.
Technical Details You Might Care About
- Key: E Minor
- Tempo: 91 BPM (Perfect for that mid-tempo "In Da Club" vibe)
- Release Date: July 12, 2019
- Album: No.6 Collaborations Project
How to Actually Appreciate the Song
If you're looking to get the most out of this track, don't treat it like a serious attempt to "out-rap" Eminem. Ed knows he can't do that. Treat it like a celebration.
- Listen for the "Nate Dogg" Influence: In the hook, Ed is clearly channeling the late, great Nate Dogg. The melodic, smooth delivery over a hip-hop beat is a direct homage.
- Watch the Lyric Video: The official lyric video uses high-contrast, gritty visuals that match the Shady/Aftermath aesthetic.
- Check the Rhyme Schemes: Even if you aren't a fan of Ed's rap style, the internal rhymes in his first verse ("misfit," "Ipswich," "existence," "dismissed quick") are technically sound.
The legacy of "Remember the Name" isn't that it changed the face of hip-hop. It didn't. Its legacy is that it's one of the few times a global pop juggernaut got to stand in a room with his heroes and prove he belonged there, even if he's just a guy from Ipswich who prefers open-air shows to club appearances.
To really dive deeper into the technical side of the song, you should analyze the syllable counts in Eminem's verse; his "skinny jeans" scheme is a masterclass in vowel matching that most casual listeners overlook on the first spin.