Eminem Defends Kid Rock Verse: 'Not About Choosing Sides'

By Grace Kim

Eminem defended his guest verse on Kid Rock's new LP Halfway 2 Jesus hours after the album dropped Friday. The Detroit rapper, who endorsed Kamala Harris at a 2024 rally, told fans on social media: "Not about choosing sides, just choosing to make music with my old friend. Praying for all of us."

What is the song, and where does it sit?

Eminem appears on the track "Heal My Faith," the song Rock originally recruited him for. The album marks Rock's pivot toward explicitly faith-themed material after years of partisan posturing.

Who criticized the pairing, and why?

Some Eminem fans pushed back on the appearance. The rapper endorsed Kamala Harris at a Detroit rally in 2024 and has criticized Donald Trump on tracks like "Campaign Speech." Kid Rock, meanwhile, ranks as perhaps Trump's most prominent booster in the music industry.

What did Eminem's verse actually say?

His verse on "Heal My Faith" extends the same argument he posted online. "From shock rap to the rock rap / My homie and me / He is my brother, not my political enemy," he raps. He adds: "However you voted or lean / Liberal and evangelical can agree / It's God first, home of the free."

Why did Kid Rock ask him?

Rock explained the choice to Billboard, citing nearly 40 years of friendship. "We've been friends for, like, 40 years," he said. "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."

Rock also revealed Eminem was first announced for a different song, "7 Sins." The pair settled on "Heal My Faith" instead. "We agreed we didn't need two songs together…people are going to think we're dating," Rock said.

What is the album actually about?

Rock cast the project as a meditation on forgiveness rather than politics. "This [album] is about forgiveness and second chances," he told Billboard. "Trying to heal some of the division in our country."

What does this change for both rappers?

For Eminem, the verse signals willingness to work across ideological lines with a longtime friend. For Rock, the Eminem credit lends mainstream weight to a faith-and-reconciliation pivot.

Whether fans on either side accept that framing is the test ahead. Rock's stated aim — "kill some of the division" — sets a bar his own audience may or may not clear, and the track now sits inside the political noise it was designed to rise above.