Yes, it is real: Eminem raps on Kid Rock’s new album. “Halfway 2 Jesus,” the rocker’s faith-based record, arrived Friday, Oct. 17, with Slim Shady guesting on track five, “Heal My Faith” – a collaboration between two Detroit friends who sit on opposite ends of American politics. Hours after release, Eminem answered the backlash himself: “Not about choosing sides, just choosing to make music with my old friend. Praying for all of us.”
The song pairs metal guitar flourishes and church bells with an Eminem verse that traces the friendship back to the beginning: Kid Rock showing up to support a then-unknown Marshall Mathers at the 1997 release party for “The Slim Shady EP.” “I was nobody, he came to my show to see me,” Eminem raps, per the lyrics quoted by Consequence. Later comes the thesis: “He is my brother, not my political enemy… however you voted or lean, liberal and evangelical can agree.” Kid Rock closes the track with a spoken-word outro: “Thinking differently and having the freedom to do so is what makes this country great.”
The frantic week behind the collaboration
The song fans got is not the song they were promised. When the team-up was announced Oct. 1, Eminem was billed on a track called “7 Sins.” The Detroit Free Press, reporting inside Rock’s Nashville studio during the final 48-hour sprint, lays out the scramble: Eminem had recorded verses for both songs over the past year, Rock shelved “Heal My Faith” in favor of “7 Sins,” then Eminem phoned from Detroit and asked, “When’s the last time you listened to that first song?” Rock agreed to the swap – but that left “7 Sins” without its rap break. Calls to Lil Wayne and Chuck D went nowhere, Rock considered rapping it himself and decided he could never match Eminem’s work, and then, in the wee hours of Monday morning, five days before release, Lil Wayne texted: “Holler at me.” Weezy cut an impromptu “7 Sins” interlude that same day. At 5:35 p.m. Wednesday, Rock texted the Free Press that the album was 100 percent finished: “PRAISE JESUS!!! Gonna say a few prayers and then crack a cold beer.”
Why the team-up is controversial – and what both men say
Kid Rock is perhaps the most prominent Trump supporter in music; Eminem endorsed Kamala Harris at a Detroit rally in 2024 and has torched Trump in his lyrics. Some Eminem fans balked at the pairing, which is what his “not about choosing sides” post answered. Rock, for his part, told Billboard the album “is about forgiveness and second chances,” and waved off the outrage: “You’re upset that two old friends did something together? You’re essentially confirming the problem to us.” In the album’s foreword he writes that he hopes the friendship “sets an example for people who’ve lost friends or stopped talking to family because they think differently.” As Rock put it in the same interview: “We’ve been friends for, like, 40 years. I really didn’t want to drag him into my political world.”
The timeline
1997: Kid Rock attends the Detroit release party for “The Slim Shady EP,” a moment Eminem still raps about.
2025-2026: Eminem records verses for two Kid Rock tracks, “Heal My Faith” and “7 Sins.”
Oct. 1, 2026: The Eminem guest spot is announced – for “7 Sins.”
Oct. 12-14: The Nashville scramble: “Heal My Faith” is resurrected at Eminem’s request, Lil Wayne saves “7 Sins” in a day, the masters ship with hours to spare.
Oct. 17: “Halfway 2 Jesus” is released – landing on Eminem’s 54th birthday – and Eminem posts his “not about choosing sides” defense.
What this means for listeners
“Halfway 2 Jesus,” Kid Rock’s 13th studio album, is streaming everywhere now. Start with track five, “Heal My Faith,” for the Eminem verse, then “7 Sins” for the Lil Wayne interlude that almost never happened; Jimmie Allen also guests on the record. If you only know the politics, the Free Press studio account is worth your time – it is a rare look at how a major album gets rebuilt 48 hours before release. For more music news, read our pieces on Chuck Berry’s 100th birthday tributes and Blondie’s new album announcement.
