ARTIST

Kid Rock

Legendary Detroit hero Kid Rock has been assaulting the underground for more than a decade now, fusing hip-hop and rock and laying down the blueprint for the current rap-metal explosion. While countless nu-metal bands have attempted to merge hardcore and hip-hop, Kid Rock--like the Beastie Boys before him--has successfully twisted these genres into one singular monster sound that is both danceable and moshable, using a combination of samples, beats, and live band jams.

After three awesome albums and one hard-to-find EP, Rock finally exploded into the mainstream in 1998 with Devil Without A Cause, a no-holds-barred punk/metal blowout that laced his trademark white-trash humor with B-boy attitude. Suddenly, Rock broke out of cult status and became a bona fide household name and "overnight sensation."

Born Bob Ritchie, Kid Rock grew up in Romeo, Michigan, and was weaned on a mix of early hip-hop (the Fat Boys, Run-DMC) and Detroit icons such as Bob Seger, the MC5, and the Stooges. After a slew of demo tapes and club appearances, Rock was discovered by D Nice from Boogie Down Productions and brought to Jive Records, where he was quickly signed. In 1990, his debut LP, Grits Sandwiches For Breakfast, was released; boasting production credits from Nice and nasty Oakland rap icon Too $hort, the album, a mix of guitar-laced, old-school hip-hop and 2 Live Crew-style jams, spawned the cult classic "Yodeling In The Valley." A national tour with Ice Cube, Poor Righteous Teachers, and the Geto Boys followed, and Rock soon built an underground following of teens who loved his rebellious stance and funky music.

In 1993, Rock hooked up with Continuum Records and released his colossal sophomore effort, Polyfuze Method, a way-ahead-of-its-time, acid-drenched, funk-metal-rock-rap album complete with side-splitting lyrics and headbangin' beats. The rare EP Fire It Up (which featured an early version of Rock's future hit single, "I Am The Bullgod") was next, but by this time Rock and Continuum were coming to blows, so the rapper quickly left the label.

After a couple of years of touring hard and demoing new tracks, Rock finally began work on his next album at Detroit's infamous White Room Studios. Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp, released in 1996 on his own Top Dog Records, expanded on the themes and ideas of Polyfuze, creating a diverse musical landmine that found him pairing up with members of the Black Crowes, Big Chief, and the Howling Diablos. Quite simply, Stoned Pimp was an awesome album: Imagine a ferocious, indie Beastie Boys, with an arsenal of one-liners and a great backing band. The record eventually garnered enough sales and attention to land Rock a deal with Lava/Atlantic and the promise of a new beginning.

In 1998, Rock released his hardest, most dynamic, yet most commercially accessible album to date, the breakthrough Devil Without A Cause. It featured a couple of smokin' remakes from Stoned Pimp, like the pounding metal rap "Where U At Rock" and the disarmingly vulnerable "Black Chick, White Guy," as well as a slew of brand-new compositions. The rock tracks, like "Bawitdaba" and "Fist Of Rage," were heavier than ever, while the funkier tunes, like "Wasting Time" and "I Got One For Ya," grooved harder than ever before. But the real surprise on the album was the inclusion of a country ballad, "Only God Knows Why," which foreshadowed a massive hit country duet he would later record with Sheryl Crow for his next album, Cocky.

Rock tided over fans between albums with the 2000 rarities collection The History Of Rock, which contained lesser-known tracks from his earlier cult albums, before returning with Cocky in 2001. While the album was not as explosive a hit as its predecessor at first, Rock remained in the spotlight due to his frequent USO concerts and his tabloid relationship with ex-Baywatch babe (and Tommy Lee's ex-wife) Pamela Anderson. But in late 2002, Lava chose to release "Picture," a straightahead country ballad featuring vocals by Crow, as Cocky's next single. The song was a massive hit across radio genres, and suddenly, Rock was bigger than ever, proving he had every reason to be so cocky.

Rock returned in the fall of 2003 with a self-titled effort that sported a cover of Bad Company's 1975 monster hit "Feel Like Makin' Love" as its first single. He also continued to make tabloid headlines with his on-again-off-again romance with Pamela Anderson.

Written by Frank Meyer