Kid Rock‘s close ties to current U.S. President Donald J. Trump and his continued activism for conservative and MAGA-aligned beliefs have made him an increasingly polarizing figure. However, it would appear that the diamond-certified rap-rock/country star hopes his forthcoming new Christian album “Halfway 2 Jesus” will serve as a bridge of sorts. Rock of course hasn’t exactly thrown many olive branches to those of opposing political views in recent years, having regularly hurled dismissive and derogatory terms their way.
However, one note of interest about Rock‘s upcoming faith-based outing is a reunion with fellow Michigan native Eminem. Both Rock and Eminem have had somewhat similar career trajectories in their early years, each exploding onto the scene in the late 90s with hit albums full of debauchery, bravado and disturbing verses that have come under scrutiny. They also collaborated together early on and more recently in 2013.
However, while Rock is known to be a close friend and ally of Trump, Eminem has previously called out the current commander-in-chief, perhaps most notably with a blistering 2017 freestyle. That the two artists would now unite on a record has been a bit of a surprise for some, especially in a time where the weaponization of social media has continually been used to stoke the flames of a fierce culture war.
Per Complex, Rock addressed the collaboration in a foreword for “Halfway 2 Jesus“, in which he stated:
“I’m proud of the guests who joined me, especially my old friend Eminem. His verse speaks to something we’ve talked about and that really needs to be heard: we differ politically and on other things, but we’ve stayed friends through it all… We hope that sets an example for people who’ve lost friends or stopped talking to family because they think differently.”
Eminem is scheduled to guest on the featured track “7 Sins“. Rock however, has come under fire for his decision to include Jimmie Allen on that record. Allen appears on the title track, and had previously been sued for sexual assault and battery in 2022. Allen denied the allegations, but a judge ultimately ordered Allen to pay the woman for emotional distress.
A tentative October 17th release date has been set for “Halfway 2 Jesus“, with the lead single, “James 1:17” now streaming.
