It was Eminem who came up with idea for him and Elton John to duet on the song “Stan” at the Grammy Awards on February 21, 2001. In an interview John did with the Los Angeles Times about the odd coupling he said: “I’m a big fan of his music, and I said I would be delighted to. I know I’m going to get a lot of flak from various people who are going to picket the show. If I thought for one minute that he was hateful, I wouldn’t do it,” said Elton.

And flak he got. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation called Eminem’s participation in the event offensive and was particularly disappointed by John’s decision to perform with him. A year before, the same organization honored John with an award for fighting homophobia. That he would perform with Eminem, one of rap’s most denounced homophobics, was indeed a shock to many. It was the Grammy performance moment of the night, however, in which Michael Green, the head of NARAS, compared Eminem to Elvis, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and how Eminem’s murderous and gay- and woman-bashing album is merely the voice of rebellion.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZY2p7oE7Bpw" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

CNN.com – Elton and Eminem Team Up
All Things Deep.com - Elton John and Eminem: A Perfect Combination?