Eminem Defends His Kid Rock Collaboration: “Not About Choosing Sides”

The Eminem Kid Rock collaboration “Heal My Faith” reunites the Detroit friends of four decades — and Eminem says the music comes before the politics.

By The Superfan — CelebnMusic247

Hip hop lane, and it is a genuinely surprising one. Per Stereogum, Eminem has defended his new collaboration with Kid Rock — a pairing that turned heads precisely because, as Stereogum notes, the two men’s political views are famously opposed: Kid Rock is an avid MAGA supporter and Eminem is a vocal critic of Trump.

The track is “Heal My Faith,” from Kid Rock’s new Christian album Halfway 2 Jesus. In his verse, per Stereogum, Eminem raps: “From shock rap to the rock rap, my homie and me / He is my brother, not my political enemy.” And in a post defending the decision, Eminem wrote, per Stereogum: “Not about choosing sides, just choosing to make music with my old friend. Praying for all of us.”

Eminem Kid Rock Collaboration: Four Decades of Friendship

Kid Rock gave his side to Billboard, per Stereogum: “We’ve been friends for, like, 40 years. I really didn’t want to drag him into my political world…. We talk about [politics] a little bit, not a ton. There’s a lot of stuff we agree on, and we can have a laugh about what [we don’t]. That’s why I asked him to write a verse for me.”

The history backs up the “old friend” framing. Per Stereogum, Eminem previously collaborated with Kid Rock by featuring on his 1998 song “Fuck Off” from Devil Without a Cause, and Kid Rock appeared in Eminem’s 2013 “Berzerk” music video. Two Detroit artists, same city, same era, a friendship that predates both of their fame — and, evidently, outlasts the argument of the moment.

One footnote from Stereogum’s report underlines how strange the current landscape is: last month, Kid Rock was supposed to speak at a MAGA festival in Kentucky, but it was canceled because only six people bought VIP tickets.

Whether you read “Heal My Faith” as a olive branch, a business decision or just two old friends making a record, Eminem has said his piece — and he said it in the verse itself.

Sources: Stereogum