Elton John: "My Next Record Will Be Hip-Hop"

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Elton John was talking to us about his upcoming album, The Captain and the Kid, due out next month, when he dropped a bomb about his plans for the project after that: he intends to record a hip-hop album with Dr. Dre. Sir Elton has yet to personally discuss this project with Dre but he's dead serious about the prospect. "I want to bring my songs and melodies to hip-hop beats — a bit like no 'No Diggity' by Blackstreet," said the Rocket Man, who's also a huge fan of Tupac's 1995 hit "California Love." "I love these beats, but I have no idea how to get them."

"I want to work with Pharrell, Timbaland, Snoop, Kanye, Eminem and just see what happens. It may be a disaster, it could be fantastic, but you don't know until you try." Doubters are referred to Elton's 2001 Grammy performance of "Stan" with Eminem, which really wasn't so shabby. For more about all this (including reaction from Bernie Taupin!) and more info about The Captain and the Kid, check out the September 7th issue of Rolling Stone.

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Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

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