25 Bizarre Musical Collaborations

Country artist Brad Paisley and rapper LL Cool J joined forces in 2013 to record the song “Accidental Racist.” Around the time of its release, Paisley told USA Today that the song, which deals with race-related issues, was meant to spark discussion. Paisley also appeared on LL Cool J’s single “Live for You,” released that same year.

Canadian rocker Bryan Adams had already recorded “That’s How Strong Our Love Is” for the album “Shine the Light,” but felt the song needed something more. Adams had met the multi-talented Jennifer Lopez in Spain years before, and he wanted her to collaborate on the song. He called her manager and requested that she sing on the song, and she agreed.

Long before R. Kelly’s publicized allegations of sexual misconduct, he and Celine Dion collaborated on the single “I’m Your Angel” that vaulted to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals at the 1999 Grammy Awards. Following a documentary about the allegations against Kelly, Dion has removed the song from streaming services earlier this year.

British pop star Ed Sheeran wanted an operatic tone to his song “Perfect,” and he wanted Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli to provide it. It helped that Bocelli’s sons were big fans of Sheeran’s. So Sheeran flew to Bocelli’s home in Tuscany, Italy, last year, and the two recorded the track for Sheeran’s album “Divide.”

Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson, who could do no wrong in movies and music in the 1980s, had already collaborated on the music video for Jackson’s song “Remember the Time” in 1992 before they teamed up to record “Whatzupwitu.” Jackson was interested in doing the song because of its positive message. The song, however, was a rare misfire for Jackson. “Whatzupwitu” rose to No. 74 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and its music video is regarded as one of the worst ever.