Detroit rocker Kid Rock says fellow Detroit native Eminem appears on his new Christian album, “Halfway 2 Jesus,” a collaboration he describes as proof that political disagreement doesn’t have to end a friendship.
Speaking Saturday on “My View with Lara Trump,” Kid Rock said he and Eminem made a pact years ago not to let politics come between them, and that bond held when he asked Eminem to take part in the new record.
“We said years ago, we said, ‘Man, let’s not let politics divide us.’ And we never did. And so when I asked him to be part of this… he totally got it,” Kid Rock said.
He said their nearly 40-year friendship could serve as a model for the country. “Two little foul-mouthed white rappers from Detroit maybe could set a good example for the rest of this country,” he said, by showing it’s possible to disagree politically and remain close.
Kid Rock called Eminem a “class act” and argued the freedom to hold different opinions is central to what makes the United States work. “Since when can you not express your points and your views and your opinions?” he said, adding that he doesn’t think politics belongs onstage.
Faith, Not Conversion
Kid Rock said the new album, built around themes of forgiveness and second chances, reflects a lifelong relationship with God rather than a recent conversion. He said his renewed focus on faith grew out of the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
“After Charlie Kirk was assassinated, like a lot of people, I started to become closer to my faith,” Kid Rock said.
Even so, he pushed back on the idea that he’s changed. “I didn’t get saved. I’m still Kid Rock. I’m still going to drink a beer and smoke a cigar,” he said. “I feel like I’ve always been right with God.”
He also pointed to what he sees as a personal sign tied to his faith: his birthday, Jan. 17, 1971, and his middle name, James, which he connects to the Bible verse James 1:17 — a verse he said “basically says all good things come from God.”
Revivals in Arenas
Kid Rock said he hopes the album helps ease political division nationally. “This record is about second chances and forgiveness. It’s about trying to heal some of the division in our country,” he said.
He plans to bring the material to large venues in a format blending a rock concert with a religious revival. “I wanted to create the songs that I wanted to go to church and hear,” he said. “And I want to have revivals, Saturday night revivals in arenas, stadiums, people drinking beer, having a good time, celebrating our Lord and Savior,” calling the planned shows a “full-on monster rock show.”
“I think that could do a lot of good in the world,” he said.
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