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Born Bob
Ritchie in Romeo, Mich., Kid Rock began his libidinous
rap/djing career when he was just 15 years old. Raised in
what he refers to as a "hick-town," Kid Rock
quickly gained a reputation in the nearby Mt. Clemens
housing projects, spinning up his rare brand of
potty-mouthed raps -- which comprised psychedelic rock,
hip-hop, soul, jazz and funk -- for nightly dance parties.
After a move to New York City (where he reportedly lived
below Queen Latifah), Kid Rock formed relationships with
many area rappers and eventually landed an opening slot on
a 20-city tour with Ice Cube and Too $hort. He was only 18
years old.
It wasn't
until 1990 that he released his first album, Grits
Sandwiches for Breakfast, on the Jive label. The album
helped define Kid Rock's bad-boy attitude. After a college
disc jockey played one song from the album, "Yodelin'
in the Valley," Kid was fined almost $25,000 by the
FCC for what was termed "the most indecent thing ever
heard" by the president of the university.
But the
Rock pushed on, producing one lewd album after another --
including 1993's The Polyfuse Method, 1996's Early
Morning Stoned Pimp and the tasteless Fire It Up
EP -- and steadily gained a cult following.
In 1998,
he signed with Atlantic Records, who released Devil
Without a Cause in 1998. That same year, the Detroit
Red Wings chose the opening rap from Early Morning
Stoned Pimp, which boasts the phrase "Ain't no
party like a Detroit party/ 'Cause a Detroit party don't
stop," as their victory chant.
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