Eminem’s upcoming collaboration with Kid Rock has sent some of his anti-Trump fans into an angry backlash, with listeners threatening to drop his music over the partnership. The rapper is featured on “7 Sins,” a track on Kid Rock’s forthcoming Christian album, Halfway 2 Jesus. Critics attacked his decision to work with one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent celebrity supporters. Others questioned whether the collaboration could even be real.
Kid Rock revealed the album’s track listing on October 1st, naming Eminem among the guests on the 17-song project. The announcement accompanied the release of “James 1:17 (Jesus Is King),” the album’s first single. The forthcoming record also includes songs titled “Freedom,” “Me and Jesus” and “God Bless the USA.” It will be Kid Rock’s first new album since 2022’s Bad Reputation.
The two musicians have taken sharply different positions in presidential politics. Eminem delivered an anti-Trump freestyle during the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards, telling fans who supported Trump to choose between them. He later supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and introduced former President Barack Obama at a Detroit campaign rally. Kid Rock has repeatedly championed Trump and publicly identified himself with the MAGA movement.
As The Daily Beast reported, one X user wrote, “The same man that told everyone if you support Trump, stop being his fan,” before adding, “Eminem is spineless.” Another user asked, “How are you anti-MAGA but making a song with Kid Rock?” The complaints continued elsewhere on X, with another commenter writing, “What a f—ing disappointment.”
In a Reddit thread, the announcement prompted listeners to say they were removing Eminem from their playlists. “Yup, just removed the last of the Eminem songs from my playlist. I’m disappointed but not particularly surprised,” one commenter wrote. Another added, “I can live without Em in my playlist.” The thread’s original poster described being disappointed that Eminem would work with someone they called a “MAGA nut.”
Other commenters tried to explain away Eminem’s appearance on the track list. One questioned whether Kid Rock had used a sample, writing, “That doesn’t sound right given how anti-TRUMP/MAGA Em is…” Another speculated that the feature could be an old recording. Complex confirmed through an Eminem representative that “7 Sins” is an official collaboration for the album.
Their professional relationship reaches back to the period before Eminem’s major-label breakthrough. He appeared on Kid Rock’s 1998 album “Devil Without a Cause”, contributing to the track “F— Off.” That release preceded Eminem’s “The Slim Shady LP”, which arrived the following year. Kid Rock later appeared in the music video for Eminem’s 2013 single “Berzerk,” giving the two another shared project years before the current album announcement.
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Kid Rock addressed their political differences in an October 25th, 2024, video posted during the presidential campaign. “I love Eminem. We’ve been friends for many years. I don’t agree with his politics,” he said. He also credited Eminem and Taylor Swift for publicly expressing their beliefs. In the same message, he reaffirmed his support for Trump, describing his own position as “unequivocally MAGA.”
Watch Kid Rock discuss his friendship with Eminem in the October 2024 video here:
Eminem responded to that video by pointing to their shared support for the Detroit Lions. His reply acknowledged Kid Rock directly and thanked him by his nickname, Bob, a reference to Robert James Ritchie. The exchange took place while the musicians were publicly supporting opposing presidential candidates. Eminem wrote, “Here’s one thing @KidRock and I do agree on… GO @Lions !!!! Appreciate you, Bob.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.