You could hardly have two more disparate and diametrically opposed artistes, in music style, lifestyle, age and outlook, and the idea of them ever performing a duet would have been unthinkable before 2001, but everyone was amazed at the Grammys that year when notoriously bigoted rapper Eminem appeared onstage with gay icon Elton John and they performed Eminem's “Stan”.
Itself a sampling of the basic melody from Dido's massive hit “Thank you”, the song concerns a letter written from an obsessed fan to Eminem, angry that he is not getting any reply, and by the time Eminem gets to write back to him the eponymous Stan has taken his own life and that of his girlfriend in despair, thinking no-one cares about him.
Eminem and Elton John --- Stan
Originally a number one hit for Eminem when performed with the abovementioned Dido, the song really came to life as explained above when he was accompanied by Elton John at the 2001 Grammys. The fact that so much of Eminem's music is slanted towards a very homophobic view, coupled with the violent imagery in the song is perhaps all the more reason it was a surprise to see someone who, though something of a maverick and a rebel in his day, never advocated anyone killing another human being, or gloried in violence and misogynism, even if only through his lyrics.
Laying, for the most part, to rest the spectre of anti-gay sentiment and the backlash from the gay community (most of whom could be potential customers!), “Stan” is quite a unique achievement, making several statements all at once. Certainly something that would not be seen as a marriage made in Heaven, it turned out to be less of a mismatch than might have been reasonably expected.