A very rare collaboration between Jay-Z and U2's Bono and The Edge will take place in London venue during Friday's "Hope for Haiti" telethon, which airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on MTV and other networks.
Speaking to the Irish radio station 2FM, U2's the Edge confirmed reports that Swizz Beatz was producing a collaboration between the two music giants: "Last night, we wrote a song... Bono got a call from a producer, Swizz. He and Jay-Z wanted to do something for Haiti. So Bono came up with the phrase on the phone, and last night we were here. We wrote a song-- finished, recorded, and sent it back to them. So that might be the next thing you hear from us!" The collaboration will likely be sold on iTunes after the telethon.
In addition to U2 and Jay-Z, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Keith Urban and Alicia Keys are just a few of the performers who will be featured in the two-hour event.
Haiti was devastated and tens of thousands - possibly hundreds of thousands - of its citizens were killed when an earthquake hit the impoverished Caribbean nation last week. This morning, a 6.1 follow-up quake rocked the region, further complicating relief efforts that have been faced with incredible difficulty in getting supplies and help to the suffering, due to the damage done to the island.
"Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" will be an international event. Haitian native Wyclef Jean will anchor the show from New York, while George Clooney will do the same from Los Angeles. CNN's Anderson Cooper will report from Haiti.
London has also been added to the lineup as well, and will be home to performances from Jay-Z will perform, along with Bono, The Edge and Rihanna in a special joint performance. Coldplay is also to perform.
New York will feature Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Jean and Sting. In Los Angeles, Swift is scheduled, as well as Urban, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Justin Timberlake, Dave Matthews, John Legend and Stevie Wonder.
After the telethon, people will be able to purchase the night's performances for 99 cents each through iTunes. All proceeds raised from the telethon will be donated to several relief organizations, including UNICEF, Oxfam America and Partners in Health.
The "Hope for Haiti" benefit will be televised on all the major networks at 8 p.m. EST, as well as MTV, VH1, CMT, BET, PBS, CNN, Bravo, and a host of other networks as well as streaming live on YouTube, MySpace and AOL.
