“Ghetto Gospel” blended Tupac and Elton John in a way that left both artists in awe, with Elton calling Eminem’s remix “genius” and Eminem himself feeling like “a kid in a candy store”.
Elton John has had a career filled with chart-topping hits and legendary collaborations, but one moment stands out to him as particularly special — when Eminem sampled his song “Indian Sunset” for Tupac’s “Ghetto Gospel”.
Speaking with Nick Grimshaw on BBC Radio 6 Music, Elton reflected on how much it meant to him:
Eminem produced the Tupac record, and he had a sample of ‘Indian Sunset’ on it for “Ghetto Gospel”. It is one of my proudest moments. I thought, “Oh my God, I can die and go to heaven”.
“Indian Sunset” was originally an album track from Elton’s 1971 record “Madman Across the Water”. It was not a single and remained relatively unknown for decades — until Eminem revamped it in 2004 for “Ghetto Gospel”.
The song took on a new life under Em’s production, swapping out Tracy Chapman’s “Crossroads” sample from an earlier version and instead layering Tupac’s verses over Elton’s dramatic instrumentation. The result was a powerful social commentary in which Tupac referenced Malcolm X and Bobby Hutton, highlighting the struggles of Black activists.
Elton was blown away when he first heard it, praising Eminem’s creativity. Daily Express quotes the star:
How he’s managed to meld that with Tupac, I’ll never know. It’s just genius.
For Eminem, the opportunity to work on Tupac’s vocals — even posthumously — was a dream come true. He commented on it later:
You wouldn’t be able to tell the 18/19-year-old Marshall that he would ever be able to get his hands on some Tupac vocals and have that opportunity. It was such a significant piece of history for me and so much fun. I’m like a kid in a candy store; going nuts with the fact that I’m putting beats under his rhymes.
The collaboration paid off — “Ghetto Gospel” topped the charts in the UK, Australia, Ireland, and multiple other countries. Ironically, the US was the only major market where it did not reach No.1.
Even so, the song remains a standout moment in all three artists’ legacies — a track that brought together Elton John, Tupac, and Eminem in a way no one could have predicted.
