Kid Rock has revealed the track listing for his forthcoming Christian album, Halfway to Jesus. Judging by the parental advisory sticker on the album’s cover, it’s fair to assume this may not be a traditional Contemporary Christian Music record.
Given the
religious theme, the track list itself also includes one head-scratcher. The title track features a guest appearance from Jimmie Allen, the country singer who, earlier this summer, was forced to pay nearly $2 million in damages after previously being found liable for sexual assault.
Allen was sued in 2022. The lawsuit alleged that, during that encounter, Allen “ejaculat[ed] inside of” a woman “without a condom when Plaintiff did not consent to him doing so.” The accuser also alleged that Allen filmed the sexual encounter without her consent.
In court, Allen denied both allegations, insisting the encounter was entirely consensual, and then proceeded to ignore a series of court orders and deadlines. The judge ordered Allen pay money to the accuser for emotional distress as well as past and future treatment (Allen’s team had previously called the case “meritless”).
Allen was dropped by his record label after a series of lawsuits were filed against him a few years ago (one was eventually dropped), but has quietly attempted a comeback, releasing a string of new songs and covers. His feature on Kid Rock’s forthcoming album, however, is certainly his most high-profile appearance on record since the allegations. (A rep for Kid Rock did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
It’s not the first time the two singers have collaborated. Kid Rock and Allen both appeared on “No Limits,” a 2023 single with Austin Mahone and producer Fueled by 8008.
Though Kid Rock has not yet discussed his new album — or his relationship with Allen — beyond a brief Instagram post, past comments might offer a hint into his decision to include someone who’s been all but banished from the country music industry. “As a conservative, and more importantly, a patriot, I don’t want to be in the party of cancel cultures and boycotts,” Rock, talking about Bud Light, told Fox News in 2023. “As a god-fearing man, as a Christian, I gotta believe in forgiveness.”
According to Complex, Kid Rock elaborates on a different, higher profile collaboration on his forthcoming album in the project’s foreword. “I’m proud of the guests who joined me,” Rock writes, “especially my old friend Eminem….We differ politically and on other things, but we’ve stayed friends through it all.”
In an accompanying video teasing the album, Kid Rock reads lyrics to the song “James 1:17 (Jesus is King).” “I’ve been locked up in your cages/And my sins became contagious,” Kid Rock says, staring into the camera. “But when I got right with Jesus Christ/I found things that money can’t buy.”
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