\n\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\n\tThe surprising new collaboration between Kid Rock and Eminem on the former\u2019s equally surprising new faith-based album Halfway 2 Jesus<\/em> has taken some, well, surprising turns during the days before its Oct. 17 release.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tExplore\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tKid Rock\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\tWhen the album was announced earlier this month, accompanied by the single \u201cJames 1:17 (Jesus Is King),\u201d Eminem was listed on the track \u201c7 Sins.\u201d Now he\u2019s part of \u201cHeal My Faith,\u201d while Lil Wayne became a replacement for \u201c7 Sins\u201d \u2014 following some last-minute maneuvering.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tRandy Rainbow Quotes Jay-Z’s ’99 Problems’ in RFK Jr.-Roasting New Song Parody: ‘The Worms in His Brain Clearly Drove Him Insane’\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tGeordie Greep Responds to Sexual Misconduct Allegation, Cancels Tour Dates (UPDATE)\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tZach Bryan Sets His ‘Manhood’ Tour for 2027\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\t\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of stress and a lot of anxiety, but it\u2019s so good,\u201d Rock (real name Bob Ritchie) told Billboard<\/em> during a visit this week with other reporters to his Dixie Ridge farm spread in Nashville, in the hills overlooking downtown (and next door to a new golf course built by Justin Timberlake).<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt\u2019s giving me the exact record I wanted,\u201d he says of the last-minute change. \u201cI am so frickin\u2019 stoked, and I feel like the biggest weight I have ever felt (doing an album) has been lifted. I have never experienced good<\/em> anxiety and stress before.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe switch-up came with a bit of comic, manic machinations that Rock said reminded him of making Devil Without a Cause<\/em>, his 1998 breakthrough. \u201cThere was a lot of last minute (stuff) on that record, too,\u201d Rock recalled. \u201cI didn\u2019t scream \u2018My name is Kid!\u2019 until we were mixing the song (\u2018Bawitaba\u2019), \u2019til we were in the mix room.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWhat went down is that, despite their widely differing \u2014 and publicly expressed \u2014 political postures, Rock first approached Eminem about a year ago with \u201cHeal My Faith,\u201d previously titled \u201cLord Above\u201d and \u201cShow Me Love.\u201d It continues a recording relationship that includes Eminem appearing on \u201cF-ck Off\u201d from Devil Without a Cause<\/em>; Rock popping into the 2013 video for Eminem\u2019s \u201cBerzerk\u201d; and both appearing on Trick Trick\u2019s \u201cFrom the D\u201d remix.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe\u2019ve been friends for, like, 40 years,\u201d said Rock, an avowed friend and outspoken supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump and many in his administration. \u201cI really didn\u2019t want to drag him into my political world\u2026. We talk about (politics) a little bit, not a ton. There\u2019s a lot of stuff we agree on, and we can have a laugh about what (we don\u2019t). That\u2019s why I asked him to write a verse for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSubsequently, however, Eminem heard \u201c7 Sins\u201d and decided he would rather rap on that. \u201cWe agreed we didn\u2019t need two songs together\u2026people are going to think we\u2019re dating,\u201d Rock said with a laugh. So Eminem cut a verse for that and the song was placed in the finished queue \u2014 only to have him reach out to Rock earlier this month, after the Halfway 2 Jesus<\/em> tracklist was revealed. \u201cHe\u2019s like, \u2018Hey man, when\u2019s the last time you listened to that first song we were working on?’\u201d Rock said. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018It\u2019s been a minute\u2026I\u2019ve been so focused on this record.\u2019 I know I always loved it\u2026and he listens to it and goes, \u2018I think we should switch songs.\u2019 Which is a blessing. I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh my gosh, this is unbelievable.\u2019<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHe sends me back a verse wrapping up our whole history from like, day one \u2014 living at the Oakwood Apartments together, how I came to his Slim Shady<\/em> release (show) when he was nobody and told him to keep going and how much that meant to him back then. He nails the line, \u2018He\u2019s my brother, not my political enemy,\u2019 and it just sent these chills. I\u2019m like, \u2018Man, this is so important.\u2019 I heard the (finished) mix, and grandpa was crying.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThat arrived on Oct. 11 and set off a scramble to fill the void in \u201c7 Sins,\u201d though Rock resisted the temptation to rap something himself;\u00a0\u201dOnce (Eminem has) done something, I\u2019m like, even if it\u2019s OK\u2026it\u2019s not even close to what this kid does.\u201d He had also created \u201ca great musical break\u201d for \u201c7 Sins\u201d but nevertheless reached out to both Lil Wayne and Chuck D; the latter couldn\u2019t do it, but Wayne \u2014 also a friend of long-standing \u2014 assured Rock that, \u201cI\u2019ll knock it out today\u201d and did, in fact deliver in relatively short order.<\/p>\n \n\tSo all\u2019s well that ends well, and frantic, for Halfway 2 Jesus,<\/em> Rock\u2019s 13th album and the follow-up to 2022\u2019s angry, politically charged Bad Reputation<\/em>. \u201cI said back then, in a social post, \u2018I\u2019m going to do this record. I\u2019m going hard\u2026 and the one after this I\u2019m gonna try to lower the tone and get back to some things that matter,’\u201d he said. \u201cSo I was even thinking of it back then.\u201d Rock feels the idea of he and Eminem putting aside their political differences to collaborate on Halfway 2 Jesus<\/em> is a microcosm of the new album\u2019s intent.<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\u201dThis (album) is about forgiveness and second chances,\u201d Rock said, \u201ctrying to heal some of the division in our country. I\u2019m just putting a positive message out there in the world\u2026showing a little more grace, trying to kill some of the division. I am not without sin, and I can\u2019t say I ever will be. But I\u2019m making a conscious effort to spread this better message \u2014 and I\u2019m also still Kid motherf\u2013king Rock. At the end of the day, I\u2019m both of those guys. I\u2019m not fundamentally changed, you know? I\u2019m still Kid Rock; I\u2019m gonna drink a beer, smoke a cigar\u2026 I\u2019m just on the journey. I feel halfway to Jesus; I hope to be all the way there, but I\u2019m not sure. I don\u2019t know where it all leads. It\u2019s almost as new as me as it is to everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRock \u2014 who was raised and still considers himself Catholic but is drawn more to the non-denominational Christian churches he occasionally visits in Nashville \u2014 noted that despite his prevailing American Badass posture he\u2019s always incorporated faith into his songs, most notably \u201cOnly God Knows Why,\u201d \u201cAmen,\u201d \u201cLonely Road of Faith\u201d and \u201cWhen U Love Someone.\u201d (He also declared himself Rock n Roll Jesus<\/em> on his Billboard 200-topping 2007 album, but that\u2019s another matter.)<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI had a lot of friends pushing me to make a gospel record, and I always thought it\u2019d be cool. I always loved when Johnny Cash did it, and Elvis (Presley) did it,\u201d he said. He was already working on a more straightforward album \u2014 \u201cI\u2019ve got some of those great, crazy-ass Kid Rock songs sitting there and some crazy rap sh-t\u201d \u2014 but was inspired to focused on Halfway 2 Jesus<\/em> by a confluence of events: the widow of the late Charlie Kirk forgiving his killer; longtime Twisted Brown Trucker band keyboardist Jimmie \u201cBones\u201d Trombly retiring due to ALS; and Rock\u2019s father\u2019s death in February.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe time feels right,\u201d Rock said. \u201cI think people have had enough of the polarization, being so divided. And I think I can do my little part to help.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHe remains divisive, however \u2014 and fully acknowledges that. Since he announced the album, Rock appeared on Fox News with Lara Trump, slamming Michigan Democratic senatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed as \u201ca wolf in sheep\u2019s clothing\u201d and declaring that \u201cI don\u2019t want my grandkids to one day have to fight some civil war over religious ideology.\u201d A few days later Rock introduced Trump at an Oct. 10 rally in Clarksville, Tenn., where he spoke about \u201cIslamic extremists whose goal is to impose Sharia law on this nation\u201d and noted that Trump was \u201cprobably the 46th\u201d president, echoing Trump\u2019s false contention that he actually won the 2020 election over Joe Biden.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cLord knows, I\u2019ve been one of the most polarizing figures in the country,\u201d Rock said, while nevertheless maintaining that \u201cI\u2019m trying to make a conscious effort to be less polarizing. It\u2019s hard. I watched (the speech) back, \u2019cause everyone really loved it. But I\u2019m like, \u2018Man, I\u2019m still angry and stuff, really passionate.\u2019 I still have my beliefs. I\u2019m gonna stand up for them. But I\u2019m trying to give people more grace on their beliefs. The time feels right. I think people have had enough of the polarization, being so divided. We can think differently, but we have to talk to one another. Nothing gets solved if we just shut off and are like, \u2018Oh, f\u2014k those people.’\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHe added that, \u201cI\u2019ll talk to anybody. If Dylan Mulvaney wants to sit down and have a conversation, I\u2019m like, \u2018Come for lunch. Come for dinner. No problem.\u2019 I\u2019m always down to have a conversation about anything, with anyone \u2014 especially if it\u2019s a constructive conversation. If someone wants to get in a pissing match, I\u2019m really good at that, too. I can go pretty hard in the paint. My tongue is a dagger \u2014 which I have to be careful of, and not just musically and publicly.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRock cites relationships with actor Sean Penn and TV host Bill Maher as proof of that openness; he famously coordinated a dinner between Maher and Trump early during the latter\u2019s second term in office, which they\u2019ll repeat later this month before Rock returns to Real Time with Bill Maher<\/em> on Oct. 30 on HBO.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cYou can always find common ground somewhere, with everybody,\u201d says Rock, who received a Bob Hope Award for Entertainment this year from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society his year for his services performing for the American military. \u201cI still love a lot of Bruce Springsteen\u2019s music. No, I don\u2019t like his politics, but I\u2019m not gonna boycott him. We think differently. I think that\u2019s perfectly fine. But the just fly-off-the-handle reactions \u2014 which I\u2019ve been guilty of \u2014 there needs to be less of that.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRock recorded Halfway 2 Jesus<\/em> at his Dixie Ridge Studios on the 200-acre spread, with Nashville sessions musicians and Twisted Brown Trucker members \u2014 as well as the AI program Suno, mostly to craft full choir arrangements\u00a0and some orchestrations. \u201cI really do view it as another tool\u2026like how I would love to use different samples,\u201d says Rock. \u201cIt lets me get what I hear in my head to my audience\u2026without (AI) writing the song. I agree it can be a huge problem down the line. I think it\u2019s to be determined. Until then\u2026 you can build a house with pound of nails and a rock, or you can get a nail gun. So it\u2019s another tool.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHe wrote most of the album\u2019s material, collaborating with longtime friend Uncle Kracker, John Eddie and a variety of other writers. Trombly, meanwhile, penned \u201cInto the Setting Sun,\u201d a moving elegy about facing mortality. Rock also chose some complementary covers such as Tom T. Hall\u2019s \u201cMe and Jesus\u201d and Larry Norman\u2019s \u201cWhy Don\u2019t You Look Into Jesus,\u201d famously recorded by Janis Joplin. And he ends the album with a dramatically stripped-down, Bob Seger-style rendition of Lee Greenwood\u2019s \u201cGod Bless the U.S.A.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cA couple off very famous friends of mine encouraged me to do that,\u201d Rock said. \u201cOne of them is a very famous guitar player who came over and helped me work it out, That\u2019s one of those songs you probably shouldn\u2019t take a stab at unless you can really do something different \u2014 that\u2019s not just for the sake of being different. I think this breathes new life in it. That was definitely stepping out of my comfort zone, and I\u2019m glad I did it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAs Halfway 2 Jesus<\/em> arrives, Rock plans to finish the other album as well as make another faith-based album he says will be \u201cstripped-down, acoustic, with a big-name producer. This vision he has is campfire\u2026just kind of sit around, jamming.\u201d He\u2019s also eyeballing what he says will be a \u201crevival\u201d style live presentation for the album, \u201cjust positive messages, people being moved, but still a big rock n\u2019 roll show. We\u2019re probably not gonna do \u2018So Hott,\u2019 \u2018Motherf-cker Like Me,\u2019 but maybe \u2018All Summer Long\u2019 and \u2018Picture\u2019 sneak in. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s huge churches, huge stadiums, arenas, amphitheaters\u2026maybe a residency at the Ryman (Auditorium). I had that in my head while I was doing this record.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe timetable for touring is to be determined; Rock said he was planning to take 2027 off the road, partly due to a wrist issue that may require surgery. In the meantime, however, he plans to make as much hay for Halfway 2 Jesus<\/em> as he can. \u201cI\u2019m extremely proud of it \u2014 probably as proud as I\u2019ve ever been,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m as confident as when I was screaming, \u2018I\u2019m going platinum!’\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/music-news\/kid-rock-halfway-2-jesus-interview-1236360949\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2194766028-e1792015513646.jpg?w=1024″] Trending on Billboard The surprising new collaboration between Kid Rock and Eminem on the former\u2019s equally surprising new faith-based album Halfway 2 Jesus has taken some, well, surprising turns during the days before its Oct. 17 release. Explore Kid Rock See latest videos, charts and news When the album was announced earlier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-2200163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2200163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2200163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2200163\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2200163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2200163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2200163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
![](\"https:\/\/charts-static.billboard.com\/img\/1998\/09\/kid-rock-sbn-344x344.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
![\"Randy](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/randy-rainbow-rfk-jr-billboard-1800.jpg?w=237&h=147&crop=1\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
![\"Geordie](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/geordie-greep-2024-billboard-1800.jpg?w=237&h=147&crop=1\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
![\"Zach](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/zach-bryan-gillette-stadium-2024-billboard-1800.jpg?w=237&h=147&crop=1\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
Keeping The Faith<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Not Backing Down<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Halfway There<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Finishing The Climb<\/strong><\/h2>\n