Kid Rock + Eminem’s Relationship Is More Complicated Than People Realize

Are Kid Rock and Eminem really old friends or are they just trying to sell records? A new collaboration between the Michigan natives has fans of both artists asking, "How could you?!"

• Kid Rock and Eminem collaborate on a song called "7 Sins" from Kid Rock's upcoming Halfway To Jesus album (Oct. 17).
• While both from southeast Michigan, the two men have very different political ideologies.
• Complex shared part of the album's foreword, where Kid Rock says he and Eminem are friends who hope to set a good example.

Related: Kid Rock's New Christian Rock Song Is More Show Than Go [LISTEN]

Simply stating that the two men go way back like Cadillac seats doesn't quite explain away their differences. It's also not the full truth.

Some digging finds evidence of a strong friendship over the last two decades, but when they were both starting out in Detroit, Kid Rock and Eminem were adversaries. In fact, Marshal Mathers (Eminem's birth name) came after Kid Rock aggressively during an in-store album release party in the early '90s.

Kid Rock's response is even more surprising than the friendship that followed.

Reaction To Kid Rock + Eminem's Collaboration:

The song "7 Sins" is not yet released but some fans of Kid Rock and Eminem have strong opinions. On social media, one finds examples of both audiences expressing feelings of betrayal.

"Too bad you sold out and teamed up with kid rock (sic)," one person writes in the comments of a totally unrelated Instagram post Eminem is tagged in.

Others bring up his "line in the sand" remark during a performance at the 2017 BET Hip-Hop Awards. He said people were either for or against Donald Trump, then in his first year of presidency.

Kid Rock has become one of the most famous supporters of President Donald Trump, but he's also protected space for friends who don't agree with him. In 2024 he took to Instagram to support artists like Taylor Swift and Eminem, who disagree with him politically.

Kevin Mazur / WireImage for Getty Images

"Thinking differently and having the freedom to do so is what makes this country great," he said.

Of course the loudest voices on the internet are not appreciative of that level of nuance. As per usual, Kid Rock is not moved by critics.

"I'm proud of the guests who joined me, especially my old friend Eminem," Kid Rock says in the foreword (via Complex). "His verse speaks to something we’ve talked about and that really needs to be heard: we differ politically and on other things, but we’ve stayed friends through it all."

Kid Rock and Eminem's Friendship History Is Complicated

In the early 1990s, 19-ish-year-old Kid Rock and 18-ish-year-old Eminem had a confrontation that would prove to be pivotal. Kid Rock was hosting an album release party for Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast at a Detroit-area record store called Record Time.

Manager Harry Bunner recalls Eminem challenging Kid Rock to a rap battle at this event. In a documentary about Detroit hip-hop, Bunner says Eminem used to show up at the record shop trashing other area rappers, including Kid Rock. Those feelings festered until this night.

The story goes that Kid Rock took it all in stride, explaining to Eminem that this was his celebration but Eminem may get his shot too one day. He also told the younger rapper to slow down and annunciate more. The story was corroborated by an Eminem friend named Bob Klaus.

The years later retelling may have inaccuracies (neither Kid Rock nor Eminem have ever talked about it) but the two men clearly developed a mutual respect for one another in a matter of years.

In 1998, Eminem would appear on Kid Rock’s Devil Without a Cause album. They wrote the song “F— Off” together.

In 2009 Eminem told Detroit's Metro Times he and Kid Rock were boys.

"He'll come over my house, I've played basketball with him, you know? But, yeah, me and Bob (Kid Rock's real first name) are pretty good friends," Eminem shared.

Multiple collaborations have followed despite political differences. When Kid Rock shared his respect for Eminem's right to vote for whomever, Eminem responded with appreciation and turned the subject to the Detroit Lions.