Inspired by the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill - white performers fusing rap and hard guitar rock - Kid Rock recorded his first demos in 1988, and eventually scored an opening slot at a Boogie Down Productions gig. Finding small-town life stiflingly dull, Ritchie immersed himself in rap music, learned to breakdance, and began making the talent-show rounds in Detroit. In 2021 he released the confrontational single 'Don't Tell Me How to Live' ahead of the arrival of his 12th studio album, Bad Reputation, which appeared in 2022.īob 'Kid Rock' Ritchie (born Robert James Ritchie, January 17, 1971) grew up in Romeo, Michigan, a small rural town north of the Detroit metro area.

Subsequent efforts like Cocky (2001), Rock N Roll Jesus (2007), and Sweet Southern Sugar (2017) saw him continue to blur the lines between rock, hip hop, country, and heavy metal. He persevered, and by the time rap-metal began to attract a substantial audience, he had perfected the outlandish, over-the-top persona that gave Devil Without a Cause such a distinctive personality and made it such an infectious party record. Known for hits like 'Cowboy,' 'Picture,' 'Bawitdaba,' and 'All Summer Long,' Rock had recorded his first demo ten years prior, been booted off major label Jive following his 1990 debut, Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast, and toiled for most of the decade in obscurity, releasing albums to a small, devoted, primarily local fan base. A platinum-selling country rap-rocker, Detroit native Kid Rock shot to superstardom in 1998 with his fourth full-length LP, Devil Without a Cause.

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