Strange Bedfellows

Eminem Collaborates with Elton John, Again

John Hudson 17 Views Jan 4, 2010

How's this for a musical ensemble. Elton John, the 62-year-old singer songwriter from Britain, is helping hip-hop firebrand Eminem battle drug addiction. On British radio, John said, "I've been helping Eminem over the last 18 months and he's doing brilliantly." The controversial rap star entered rehab in 2005 and has admitted he struggles with prescription drug abuse. Though he once nearly overdosed after taking several methadone pills, he freely admits having reached out to John for support:

When I first wanted to get sober, I called him, because he's somebody in the business who can relate to the lifestyle and how hectic things can be.

As MTV's Eric Ditzian notes, this isn't the first time Eminem's gone to Sir Elton for help:

When Em was getting heat for purportedly homophobic lyrics at the beginning of the millennium, he appeared with John at the 2001 Grammy Awards for an unforgettable rendition of "Stan." ...Back in 2001, Eminem took home three Grammys, but it was his duet with John -- they embraced after the song and held up their hands together in solidarity -- that became that moment everyone was talking about the next day.

Below, a video of the two performing live together at the Grammy Awards:

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