Kid Rock, Eminem Online Exchange Goes Viral

Rappers Eminem and Kid Rock have shared their support for each other in a viral exchange online about the upcoming election.

The two Michigan-born stars have taken opposing sides in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election. Eminem—born Marshall Bruce Mathers III—appeared alongside former President Barack Obama at a rally in Michigan on October 22 to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, Kid Rock performed at the Republican National Convention in July, where he made a few changes to his hit song “American Bad Ass” to tailor it to the upcoming election.

While some may believe their differing political leaning may cause a rift in their friendship—the two men have also previously collaborated together—it seems this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Kid Rock sent a video to Newsweek via email, which he also uploaded to X, (formerly Twitter) sharing his support for Eminem, which the rapper responded to online.

Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Eminem for comment on Wednesday.

Kid Rock started the video by playing his guitar before saying he loves Eminem but doesn’t agree with his politics. However, he gives credit to him and people like Taylor Swift for standing up for what they believe in.

“I love Eminem. We’ve been friends for many years. I don’t agree with his politics, but I do give credit to him and people like Taylor Swift for standing up and not being afraid to be vocal for that which they believe,” he said.

“Thinking differently and having the freedom to do so is what makes this country great. My stance is unequivocally MAGA as I know in my heart, mind, body and soul that President Trump will make America great again. God bless the U.S.A.”

At the time of writing, the video has been viewed 1.1 million times.

Proving that there are no hard feelings between the two, in response Eminem posted on X: “Here’s one thing @KidRock and I do agree on… GO @Lions!!!! Appreciate you, Bob.”

At the time of writing, his post had been viewed 2.1 million times.

Kid Rock thanked the fellow rapper for his kind words in a post that had 1 million views: “Thanks @Eminem—Who would of thought it would be 2 white rappers from Detroit / Michigan to show our divided Country what class is and how it should be done! Appreciate ya too Marshall!”

When Kid Rock performed his song “American Bad Ass” at the Republican National Convention, in place of the original lyrics, “Hey! Hey! Hey!” he had the audience yelling “Trump! Trump! Trump!” He also named key battleground states, such as Pennsylvania and Arizona, instead of the locations named in the original version of the song.

“Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the most patriotic, bada** on earth, President Donald J. Trump,” Kid Rock told the crowd before he left the stage and introduced Dana White.

In May, the musician described Trump as one of his “besties” in an interview with Rolling Stone.

Eminem is a long-time critic of Trump, and in October 2017, less than a year after his inauguration, Eminem took aim at the then-president by delivering a blistering attack in the form of a freestyle rap called “The Storm” at the BET Hip Hop Awards.

During the four-and-a-half minute track, Eminem called Trump a “racist,” as he also criticized the Republican’s policies and campaign promises. To drive his feelings home, Eminem rapped, “We f****** hate Trump.”

In a December 2017 interview with New York Magazine‘s Vulture, Eminem lashed out at Trump once again, saying: “He makes my blood boil. I can’t even watch the news anymore because it makes me too stressed out.

“All jokes aside, all punch lines aside, I’m trying to get a message out there about him. I want our country to be great too, I want it to be the best it can be, but it’s not going to be that with him in charge.”