Eminem Wasn't Dropped: Kid Rock Says Rapper Asked to Revive 'Heal My Faith' After Tracklist Was Announced

Kid Rock didn't drop Eminem from his new album, Halfway 2 Jesus. The singer says the rapper asked to bring back 'Heal My Faith', a song Kid Rock offered him a year ago. Eminem asked soon after the tracklist came out on 1 October.

Lil Wayne raps on '7 Sins', the track originally set to feature Eminem. Kid Rock's own video began by telling critics they would be happy to have Eminem off '7 Sins'. The same clip then made clear Eminem had only moved, and the album arrives on Saturday, 17 October.

How the Two Songs Changed Places

About a year ago, Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, first offered 'Heal My Faith' to Eminem, Billboard reported. That song was once titled 'Show Me Love' and 'Lord Above'. Eminem recorded verses for both songs over the past year, the Detroit Free Press reported, and '7 Sins' made the first running order. The late changes brought stress and anxiety, Ritchie said, though he called the result very good.

Once the list went public, Eminem reached out and asked how long it had been since Ritchie last heard the earlier track. Ritchie told The Detroit News the rapper then said: 'I think we should switch songs.' Ritchie agreed, and 'Heal My Faith' became the fifth track. He then sought a new verse for '7 Sins' from Lil Wayne and Public Enemy's Chuck D, hearing nothing for days, until Lil Wayne texted back.

Why the Pairing Drew Criticism

Ritchie is a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, and rapper Lil Wayne has also backed the president. Eminem attacked Trump in a freestyle at the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards. In an earlier post, Ritchie wrote that people were pushing him to pull several songs from the album. Some Eminem fans, meanwhile, called the rapper 'spineless' for working with Ritchie, The Daily Beast reported. His Instagram video on 14 October first addressed those critics directly, before revealing the switch.

In the same clip, Ritchie added that 'Eminem is still on the album'. The two men have been friends for almost 40 years, and Ritchie says the pairing shows that people who disagree can stay close. Eminem rapped on Ritchie's 1998 album, and the singer appeared in Eminem's 'Berzerk' video in 2013. In the album's foreword, Complex obtained Ritchie writing that, despite political differences, they have 'stayed friends through it all' and hoped others would follow.

When Halfway 2 Jesus Comes Out

Release is set for 10:17am on 17 October, numbers that match its single 'James 1:17 (Jesus Is King)', and on Eminem's 54th birthday. Country singers Gary LeVox and Jimmie Allen also appear. Ritchie told Billboard the record is 'about forgiveness and second chances', and he posted the new tracklist on X, as shown below.

Three events shaped the album, Ritchie said. His father died in February 2024, and his keyboard player, Jimmie 'Bones' Trombly, retired because of ALS. Erika Kirk forgiving the man accused of killing her husband also moved Ritchie. He turned to the AI program Suno to create choir arrangements and some orchestral parts for the record.