The family feud began with the song “Raise Em Up” they recorded together.
The two were once considered inseparable: Ed Sheeran and his cousin Jhetro Sheeran used to be very close. Now the “Shape Of You” singer’s cousin doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore. Although the UK pop star doesn’t seem very keen to intensify the relationship again…
The argument started with a shared song
The reason why the 42-year-old rapper, who makes music under the alias Alonestar, has broken off contact with his cousin, who is nine years his junior, is apparently due to sheer disappointment. According to his own statements, Sheeran played an important role in the tender beginnings of his younger cousin’s career and noticeably influenced his taste in music. When Ed Sheeran was still at school, it was apparently his older cousin who played music with him on holidays and wrote his first songs with him.
In 2010, the two recorded the song “Raise Em Up” together, which can be heard in the 2013 film “All Stars”. This song is also the current reason for the ugly argument between the cousins. Alonestar had made a remix of their song together and wanted to release it with Ed Sheeran in the credits and also on the cover. But Warner, Ed Sheeran’s record label, stopped the 42-year-old rapper from Bristol. He was threatened with legal action if he did not remove Ed Sheeran from the track credits and cover art. Jhetro Sheeran took it personally, railed against the famous redhead and told the Daily Mail that Ed Sheeran personally set his lawyers against him.
“Our relationship broke down because of the music”
According to the Daily Mail, Jhetro Sheeran then further justified himself by saying: “I have been ordered to remove his name and image from our shared music, which he has used and which I intend to use. He’s made millions now, but I feel like I’m entitled to some compensation and recognition since we both made a verbal agreement for three songs I wrote and produced that I gave to him to share with his fans . And I wanted to use it too, but was legally prevented from using his name or face. How ridiculous is that?”
Hurt, he added: “Our relationship fell apart because of the music I taught him, and now we don’t even talk to each other anymore.”
The “Devil” Ed Sheeran?
Jhetro Sheeran spoke to the Daily Mail about his 33-year-old cousin. While he not only referred to the pop musician as the “devil” and portrayed him as greedy for money and power, he said of his creative output: “That’s not my kind of music. I’m not a fan. He’s authentic and people sing along to his songs. They’re good, but they’re like nursery rhymes, they have no depth, and to me they’re boring.”
“I no longer consider Ed to be family to me,” Alonestar made clear about their relationship. And further: “I love him because he is my flesh and blood, but I don’t need to know him anymore.”
The two’s careers noticeably drifted apart over time. While Ed Sheeran achieved international fame, earned millions and has already won four Grammys, his older cousin lives with his mother and is still hoping for his big break.