Kid Rock



"I don't like small cars or real big women

But somehow I always find myself in 'em"

- Welcome 2 the Party, Ode 2 the Ol' School

Kid Rock (Robert James Ritchie, 1971-) is an American singer and rapper from Michigan who incorperated Hard Rock and Country into his music. At the age of 11, he was break-dancing in a Break-Dance crew, and used the money made to get Turntable equipment. He then played as a DJ who'd play in clubs for beer. He got his nickname after club-goers commented that "white kid that can rock".

He formed the rap group The Beast Crew with local rapper Champtown, but it broke up when Kid Rock signed to Jive Records. He released his LP Grit Sandwiches for Breakfast soon afterwards in 1990, but it was perceived as being a Beastie Boys ripoff. So he was dropped from the record label for the album's weak reception. However, the album was popular enough for Kid Rock to be considered the biggest rapper in Detroit at the time; Insane Clown Posse even tapped him for an appearance on their debut, Carnival of Carnage, despite the fact that Violent J thought that Kid Rock's rapping was weak, although a lyric in Kid's "Ya Keep On" suggests that the feeling is mutual.

Kid's next two albums, The Polyfuze Method and Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp, were released independently. To help with the recording, Kid Rock recruited a band of musicians known as the "Twisted Brown Trucker", providing the instrumental back-drop for his rhymes.

After years of independent records, he and his band got signed to Atlantic Records, where they released the break-through hit album Devil Without a Cause in 1998. This successful fusion of Southern-Fried Rap Rock inspired Kid Rock to re-work his previous songs in History of Rock. But his love for Southern Rock caused him to change his sound on his Self Titled Album, which he continues to do today. His #1 single "All Summer Long" borrowed from both the Lynyrd Skynyrd hit "Sweet Home Alabama" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London", and had extensive radio play across the Rock and Country charts.

Kid has had occasional acting roles, including Joe Dirt, Osmosis Jones and Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector.

Notable Albums:
 * Grit Sandwiches for Breakfast (1990)
 * The Polyfuze Method (1993)
 * Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp (1996)
 * Devil Without a Cause (1998)
 * Cocky (2001)
 * Kid Rock (2003)
 * Rock N Roll Jesus (2008)
 * Born Free (2010)

Kid Rock provides examples of: ""Curse like a sailor/Drink like a mick/My only words of wisdom are/""
 * The Alcoholic: RL example: He showed up drunk to record his guest appearance on Insane Clown Posse's Carnival of Carnage, "Is That You?" He then rerecorded his vocals and scratching the next day when he was sober.
 * Artifact Title: Kid Rock is 40 years old.
 * Audience Participation Song: All of Joe C's lines, since his death.
 * Badass Boast: "I'm goin' platinum sellin' rhymes/I went platinum seven times...", from "American Bad Ass," and referring to the sales of his previous breakthrough album, "Devil Without A Cause." He was referring to the previous album's sales at the time, but it would eventually sell past the 10 million mark.
 * Bowdlerize: Lampshaded on "Cowboy":

"I ain't sayin' that I'm wrong, but I still got love for you/Cause I remember how it used to be, "Make way, motherfuckers, Beast Crew's in the party""
 * Country Rap: At times.
 * Fountain of Expies: If any show needs a white hip-hop artist, it will either be a clone of him or Eminem.
 * Jerkass / Loveable Rogue: Depends on your perspective.
 * Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly: His Devil Without a Cause fused Hip Hop, Heavy Metal, Funk, Blues, Southern Rock, Soul, Country and Folk music.
 * New Sound Album: Happened twice; once with Devil Without A Cause which saw a change from hardcore rhyming over sampled riffs, to a southern fried Rap Rock sound. The second time was Kid Rock, which saw him making Southern Rock and almost completely ditching Hip Hop.
 * And yet again with Born Free, which--outside of an appearance by T.I.--is entirely Heartland rock (and one of his best albums, according to most critics).
 * N Word Privileges: He doesn't get these.
 * Rockstar Song: So, so many of them.
 * Sampling
 * Self Titled Album: "Kid Rock".
 * Take That: "Don't call me Joe 'cause the Joes I know can't even flow"
 * The song "Half Your Age" from Rock And Roll Jesus paints a very unflattering picture of Kid Rock's ex-wife Pamela Anderson.
 * What Could Have Been: Kid Rock's fifth major record label alum was originally titled Kid Rock's American Circus and would have consisted of three discs: one disc devoted to country, one disc devoted to rock and roll, and one disc devoted to hip-hop. The album also would have featured several guest musicians such as James Hetfield from Metallica. Ultimately the idea was scrapped because Kid Rock felt that making a three-disc album would have been "too pretentious."
 * We Used to Be Friends: Kid and The Beast Crew, as said in "I Wanna Go Back"


 * Word Puree Title: "Bawitdaba."