Eminem defends artistic decision to work with Kid Rock

Eminem has defended his guest verse on Kid Rock's new faith-based album.

The rapper explained that the pair's long friendship overshadows their political divide.

Rock released his new LP Halfway 2 Jesus on Friday, with fellow Detroit native Eminem appearing on the track Heal My Faith.

The collaboration drew criticism from some of Eminem's fans who were taken aback that the singer, who has been critical of Trump on tracks such as Campaign Speech, could collaborate with Kid Rock, one of Trump's biggest supporters in the music industry.

Eminem took to social media hours after Halfway 2 Jesus was released with a message to defend the musical hookup.

"Not about choosing sides, just choosing to make music with my old friend. Praying for all of us," he wrote.

Meanwhile, Kid Rock elaborated on the collaboration in an interview with Billboard. "We've been friends for 40 years. I really didn't want to drag him into my political world," he shared.

He continued that the old friends sometimes discuss politics "a little bit, not a ton."

"There's a lot of stuff we agree on, and we can have a laugh about what we don't. That's why I asked him to write a verse for me," Kid Rock said of working with Eminem.