Kid Rock and Eminem may have a battle

Rappers Eminem and Kid Rock have taken opposing sides in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, setting the stage for a political showdown between the two Michigan-born stars.

Eminem – born Marshall Bruce Mathers III – appeared alongside former President Barack Obama at a rally in Michigan on Tuesday night to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance revealed that he had invited longtime Trump supporter Kid Rock – born Robert James Ritchie – to join him on the campaign trail, also in Michigan.

With Michigan one of seven key battleground states in this tight election, the rally comes just two weeks before voters head to the polls. Harris and former President Donald Trump are neck and neck, making each campaign crucial in the race for the White House.

Newsweek on Wednesday, he emailed a spokesman for Eminem and Kid Rock seeking comment.

Eminem and Kid Rock
Eminem attends the ceremony honoring Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 30, 2020 in Hollywood, California, and Kid Rock attends the 31st Annual Rock And Roll…


Kurt Krieger/Dimitrios Kambouris/Corbis via Getty Images/WireImage for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Appearance in one of the episodes of the program Last weekend with Theo Von podcast, Vance said, “I’m actually trying to get Kid Rock to come to Michigan with me in a few days because he’s a Michigan guy.”

Trump is scheduled to return to Michigan this weekend, with rallies scheduled for Friday and Saturday. It has not been confirmed whether Kid Rock, a staunch Trump supporter, will be in attendance.

Kid Rock performed at the Republican National Convention in July, where he made several changes to his hit “American Bad Ass” to adapt it to the upcoming election.

Instead of the original text “Hey! Hey! Hey!” had the audience screaming “Trump! Trump! Trump!” and instead of the places mentioned in the original version of the song, he mentioned key battlegrounds in the upcoming presidential election, such as Pennsylvania and Arizona.

“Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the most patriotic traitor in the world, President Donald J. Trump,” Kid Rock told the audience before leaving the stage and introducing Dana White.

In May, the right-wing musician referred to Trump as one of his “best friends” in an interview. Rolling Stone.

During Tuesday’s rally in Michigan, Eminem gave a short but passionate speech in which he encouraged voters to go to the polls.

“I’m here tonight for a few important reasons. As most of you know, the city of Detroit and the entire state of Michigan mean a lot to me. And as we head into the election, the focus is on us more than ever, and I think it’s important to make our voices heard, so I encourage everyone to get out and vote,” he said.

“I also believe that people shouldn’t be afraid to express their opinions, and I don’t think anyone wants an America where people are afraid of retaliation or what people will do if you reveal your opinion.

“I think Vice President Harris supports a future of this country in which these freedoms and many others are protected and respected. And I would like to tell you much more about this, President Barack Obama.”

Eminem is a longtime Trump critic, and in October 2017, less than a year after his inauguration, Eminem took aim at the then-president with a vicious freestyle rap attack titled “The Storm” at the BET Hip Hop Awards.

In the four-and-a-half-minute song, Eminem called Trump a “racist,” also criticizing the Republican’s policies and campaign promises. To emphasize his feelings, Eminem rapped, “We f***ing hate Trump.”

In an undated clip that previously went viral in August 2023, Eminem accused Trump of “brainwashing” his devoted followers “into thinking something big is going to happen. Nothing is happening.”

He said: “I watch him play for his base and he thinks he cares about them – when actually they are the people he cares about the least. If you’re talking about his core, you know, it’s mostly white middle class, but I don’t understand how the hell you feel like you’re referring to a billionaire who hasn’t known struggle his whole fucking life?”