Detroit rocker Kid Rock says his new Christian album, “Halfway 2 Jesus,” includes a collaboration with longtime friend and fellow Detroit native Eminem, and that the two have deliberately kept political disagreements from damaging their nearly 40-year friendship.
Speaking on “My View with Lara Trump” on Saturday, Kid Rock said the pairing was meant to model something he thinks the country badly needs.
“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 added that “two little foul-mouthed white rappers from Detroit maybe could set a good example for the rest of this country” by proving that political disagreement doesn’t have to end a friendship.
Kid Rock called Eminem a “class act” and argued that the freedom to disagree politically is central to what makes the country work. “Since when can you not express your points and your views and your opinions?” he said, adding that he does not think politics belongs on stage.
A lifelong faith, not a sudden conversion
The Detroit-born singer described “Halfway 2 Jesus” as a reflection of a faith he says has been with him his whole life, not a new conversion. He said the songwriting took shape after a period of renewed spiritual focus following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“After Charlie Kirk was assassinated, like a lot of people, I started to become closer to my faith,” Kid Rock said.
He was careful to draw a distinction between his renewed focus on faith and any kind of personal transformation. “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 tying his identity to scripture: his birthday, Jan. 17, 1971, his middle name James, and the Bible verse James 1:17, which he said “basically says all good things come from God.”
Second chances, forgiveness and arena revivals
Kid Rock described the album as centered on forgiveness and second chances, and said he hopes it can help ease the country’s political and cultural divisions.
“This record is about second chances and forgiveness. It’s about trying to heal some of the division in our country,” he said.
He said he plans to take the material into arenas and stadiums in a format blending rock concert and 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.
