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Bono records with Pope, Mandela
U2 frontman brings together two of the world's most revered leaders to record Lil' Jon-produced "Let's Hold Hands Ya'll."
With U2's scheduled Aussie tour postponed, frontman Bono has used the spare time to record a new charity song, "Let's Hold Hands Ya'll," with two of the world's most revered leaders, Pope Benedict and Nelson Mandela.
The Irish rocker, nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year for his endless efforts to raise money to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa, said the collaboration was a natural. He said the Pope's people reached out to him after an iPod Nano was bestowed on him by employees of Vatican Radio earlier this month.
The addition of former South African president and antiapartheid icon Mandela was suggested by former Boomtown Rats frontman and regular Bono collaborator Bob Geldof, while the choice of crunk king Lil' Jon was an easy one, Bono said.
"We're so much more powerful when we work together as One," Bono said in a statement, subtly pitching the antipoverty One campaign for which he has become the primary voice.
Bono said he bumped into Lil' Jon backstage at the Grammys in February, and the two agreed to collaborate in the future. When the Pope-Mandela collabo came up, the crunk king seemed like the perfect fit, Bono said.
"You've seen more hip-hop influences in [U2's] work lately, particularly on tracks like "Vertigo" from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," Bono said. "This is an extension of that, although the creative approaches of Lil' Jon and his posse were slightly more, well, relaxed than that of the Pope and Mr. Nelson."
The midtempo track features Bono and Mandela harmonizing over one of Lil' Jon's acclaimed synth-laden beats, with the Pope adding the occasional verse in his native German. The track will be made available through iTunes on Monday.
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