Kid Rock says critics on both sides of the political divide don't want him working with Eminem.
The outspoken Trump supporter recently announced a collaboration with his longtime friend and fellow Detroit musician, who can't stand the president. But after receiving backlash over the pairing, Kid Rock announced that Eminem would no longer appear on the track.
'It will probably not make you very happy to hear ...'
Hate mile
There was a catch, however.
Kid Rock (Robert Ritchie) and Eminem (Marshall Mathers) go back decades, long before politics put them on opposite sides of the Trump divide.
Eminem hammered Trump in a 2017 freestyle, the first of several public attacks over the years that followed.
Eminem was originally set to appear on "7 Sins," a track from Kid Rock's upcoming album, "Halfway 2 Jesus." But on Wednesday, Kid Rock announced a change.
"There's been some people on the internet and whatnot, like there always is, that don't seem to be too thrilled about my old friend of almost 40 years, Eminem, doing a song with me on my new album," Kid Rock said in a video.
"You folks will probably be happy to hear that he's no longer on '7 Sins.'"
But Rock quickly added some bad news for all those politics-obsessed busybodies: Rapper Lil Wayne will replace Eminem on "7 Sins," while Eminem will appear on another song, "Heal My Faith," on the same album.
"It will probably not make you very happy to hear that Eminem is still on the album. He's just on another song now," Kid Rock said, pointing to his updated track listing.
Kid Rock had recently said that despite their political differences, he still respects Eminem, as well as artists like Taylor Swift, for standing up for what they believe in.
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Potty-mouthed pals
"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 told Fox News in an interview.
"Two little foul-mouthed white rappers from Detroit maybe could set a good example for the rest of this country," he added.
Ritchie called Eminem a "class act" and said political differences are part of what makes the United States a great country. He added, however, that he doesn't believe artists should turn their concerts into political events.
Metallica singer James Hetfield recently expressed a similar sentiment, telling fans in Las Vegas that his band wanted to bring people together to forget about the outside world, rather than make them pay to hear a political discussion at a rock concert.
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Nature is healing
Ritchie and Mathers reportedly met in Detroit's rap scene in the early 1990s. Despite some initial friction, the two grew to respect each other.
Kid Rock's 1998 breakout album, "Devil Without a Cause," eventually sold more than 14 million copies and featured a then-little-known Eminem on the song "F*** Off." The two have not collaborated on a released track since.
In his 2018 song "The Ringer," Eminem admitted he had been "watchin' my fan base shrink to thirds" following his attacks on Trump.
In his original 2017 freestyle, Eminem drew a line "in the sand," effectively telling fans they had to choose between him and Trump. But in "The Ringer," he appeared to have second thoughts, asking, "Was it even worth it?"
Eminem has continued to criticize Trump, although his political commentary has become less central to his music.
Kid Rock, meanwhile, has increasingly embraced both his Christian faith and conservative politics, the latter reflected in songs like "We the People."
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