DETROIT — Ed Sheeran says bringing Eminem out on stage at Ford Field was "real childhood dream stuff come true."
A video shared Thursday on Sheeran's TikTok account starts with a clip from Sheeran's 2023 documentary "The Sum of it All," during which he explains how as a child he had a stutter that rendered him speechless in grade school.
That changed when he bought a copy of Eminem's 1999 major label debut album, "The Slim Shady LP," which he memorized and would recite front to back, he says.
"Learning the Eminem raps, because they were all really fast, choppy ... that pretty much self-sorted it," he said.
The vid then cuts to a clip of Sheeran backstage at Ford Field, getting ready to bring Eminem onto the stage.
"I've performed with Eminem a few times, never brought him out at one of mine," he says. "This is real childhood dream stuff come true."
Sheeran brought Eminem out for two songs, "Lose Yourself" and "Stan," during his concert at Ford Field on July 15. (He also performed at the Royal Oak Music Theatre on July 14.) The surprise cameo sent fans into a frenzy, and it marked Eminem's first concert cameo for his hometown audience since he popped up on stage with Drake at Joe Louis Arena in 2016.
The pair has recorded several songs together, and they shared a stage during Eminem's induction at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in November.
In an Instagram post earlier this week, Sheeran reflected on the Eminem moment.
"I remember spraying my hair yellow and rapping @eminem in the school talent show when I was 11," he wrote. "Insane to be able to bring him out at my show in Detroit. Really a moment I will never forget, a real career and life highlight. Loved being in Detroit again, the subtract show was magical, and the Ford Field show was honestly the loudest I have ever heard a crowd in my life. Motor city baby, you are the greatest!"
