Biography
Foul-mouthed rapper Kid Rock was born Bob
Ritchie in Detroit; debuting in 1990 with Grit
Sandwiches for Breakfast , he resurfaced three
years later with The Polyfuze Method . After 1996's
Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp , Kid Rock -- who shot to
infamy when a Motor City radio station was hit with
outrageous fines for spinning his expletive-crazed
track "Yodeling in the Valley" -- signed to Atlantic, issuing his label
debut Devil Without a Cause in 1998. -- Jason Ankeny, All Music
Guide
Kid Rock: The History of Rock (Top Dog/Lava/Atlantic)
by: Gary Graff
The first words on The History of Rock are not from Kid Rock but from a
1985
testimony from Detroit rapper Wes Chill talking about how he recognized
the Kid's
skill and stuck him behind the turntables - even though he was a white
boy. "And
this is all he had to say," Chill relates as Rock scratches out a gleefully
defiant
"F--k it all."
Some might consider that a Bad Attitude, but it has, of course, taken the
stoned
pimp formerly known as Bob Ritchie to ubiquitous multi-media celebrity,
thanks to
the eight-times platinum sales for 1998's Devil Without a Cause. But last
year's
Grammy nomination for Best New Artist was a joke;
Rock was a decade-plus veteran by then, with a
couple of national releases already under his belt.
Devil was, however, his introduction to the world
at large, and now Rock brings The History, giving
the past its due via an agreeable hodgepodge of
14 cuts from his past and present, the former of
which have been revised to carry the same kick as
Devil's swirling sonic brew.
Rock makes it clear, in celebratory, chest-thumping
fashion, that he is not about one album, but
rather the product of a nearly decade-long climb
from the basement parties of suburban Detroit,
culminating in a visionary blend of rap, rock,
funk - and, yes, even a little country. Additionally, The
History showcases an array of burgeoning talent
that lies within Rock's Twisted Brown Trucker
band, including DJ Uncle Kracker (whose Double
Wide drops on June 13) and the diminutive
MC/sidekick Joe C.
Eight of History's 14 pieces come from two earlier
albums, 1993's The Polyfuze Method (the tracks
from which were re-recorded because the original
masters were lost) and re-mixed tracks from
1996's Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp. And while some
of the heavily biographical selections are a bit
more raw lyrically than Devil's hits, they certainly
confirm that album wasn't a fluke. A pair of tracks -
"I Wanna Go Back" and the charged father-son dialogue
"My Oedipus Complex" - reveal even more
heart than Rock's latest single, "Only God Knows
Why." Others are prophetic enough to show that
Rock knew he was "goin' platinum" years before
he made that boast on Devil.
He reminds of all this in the pounding "American
Bad Ass," which he bellows over the riffs from
Metallica's "Sad But True," starkly contrasting
the darker imagery of the textured, swirling,
guitar-drenched "Abortion." "Born 2 Be a Hick,"
one of two older songs that Rock never recorded,
takes Chuck Berry on a road trip through Romeo,
Mich., while the other, "Dark & Grey," is slate-hard
angsty metal that could have appeared on any Soundgarden
album. His latest track, "F--k That,"
originally from the Any Given Sunday soundtrack,
is tossed in for good measure. And by the time
he's through stomping and crunching, Rock affirms
that he is no overnight sensation, rather a
three-dimensional artist possessing a History indeed.
Kid Rock: The History of Rock (Top Dog/Lava/Atlantic)
Call him a fool, call him a savage, call him a pagan sex god, a tattooed
love
boy, a Murder City madman with Pabst Blue Ribbon in his veins. But don't
call Kid Rock a new artist, because he's been here for years, even if nobody
outside the Detroit methadone clinics ever heard of him until his hip-hop
thrash tantrum Devil Without a Cause. On The History of Rock, the Bullgod
collects odds and sods from his past, mostly either remixed or rerecorded
entirely, to sell his millions of new fans on the idea that he was a neglected
master back in the day when he was taking up fanzine ad space alongside
early-Nineties hip-hop not-quites like Downtown Science, Dream Warriors,
Kwame the Boy Genius and the Afros.
The verdict: Devil Without a Cause still sounds like a breakthrough, with
"Bawitdaba" giving up more hooks than all fourteen
of these tracks combined. But The History of
Rock is proof that he's always been able to smell
a good line from a mile away. The Kid plays up
Southern rock more than hip-hop, declaring, "I'm
hittin' home runs like Rusty Staub/ I'm kinda anal
'cause I ain't no fuckin' slob." For the record,
Rusty Staub hit only 292 homers, more than House of
Pain's man, Wade Boggs, and not as many as the
Beasties' man, Sadaharu Oh. But for all the
crude kicks of "Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp," it's
a good sign that History peaks with the two new
songs: "American Bad Ass" shouts out to Johnny
Cash and Grandmaster Flash, David Allan Coe
and "No Show" Jones, over wailing metal guitars.
And "Abortion," which has nothing to do with
abortion, is a genuinely frightening anti-drug
ballad that finds common ground between the Geto
Boys and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The best thing about The
History of Rock is that the realest Rock may
be yet to come. (RS 843)
Kid Rock: Grits Sandwiches For Breakfast (Jive Records)
Detroit teenager Bob Ritchie transforms into foul-mouthed, white trash,
trailer-park legend on this sex-filled romp. While closer to 2 Live Crew
than
the Beastie Boys at times, this album scores points for sampling Ozzy and
featuring yodeling.
Kid Rock: Devil Without a Cause (Lava/Atlantic Top Dog)
by: Steve Kandell
It's tempting, upon first hearing "Bawitdaba," the omnipresent lead track
from
Kid Rock's Devil Without a Cause, to think of Vanilla Ice and his unfortunate
attempt at hardcore rap metal.
No doubt, such observations have dogged Michigan rapper Kid Rock since
his
first release in 1990, but he goes the extra mile to discredit them. He
may have
the street cred and the resum?, but better yet, he actually has an entertaining
album. There's no shortage of gangsta posing or cringe-inducing rhymes
amid
the record's 14 tracks, but there's also a laudable effort to throw some
unexpected styles into the mix.
Rather than relying solely on samples or studio
musicians, Kid Rock brings on his own seven-piece
band, Twisted Brown Trucker, who can veer from
Bad Company and Allman Brothers-style
arena-rock riffs to Limp Bizkit-like sonic overkill.
"I Am the Bullgod" brings to mind Alice in Chains
more than it does Chuck D, while "Somebody's
Gotta Feel This" and the self-explanatory "Fists
of Rage" sound like a Rage Against the Machine
who've been stripped of any political agenda whatsoever.
"Welcome 2 the Party" is a raunchy,
surprisingly reverent homage to old-school hip-hop.
"I Got One for You" has a lazy, bluesy drawl, a
la G. Love and Special Sauce, and "Wasting Time"
is a rollicking sing-along anthem perfect for a
summer of loitering.
But most surprising of all is "Only God Knows Why,"
a sensitive slow jam in the '80s hair-metal
tradition, complete with Frampton-esque vocoder
effects and sure to get the lighters out and the
arms swaying. You can even picture the "Every Rose
Has Its Thorn"-style video: slo-mo shots of
screaming fans, sweat-drenched axemen in concert
stills, and views of long, lonely bus rides.
Musical diversity aside, embarrassing moments do
abound. The inside album art features not one,
but two large photos of Mr. Rock giving the finger
- it's an odd way to greet someone who's just
plunked down 15 bucks to listen to your music.
And there are enough "bitches" and "ho's" in here to
make Easy-E blush.
Devil Without a Cause isn't for the easily offended,
nor is it the sort of CD that lends itself to ardent
or erudite critical deconstruction. It's music
to drink beer to in parking lots, and it never pretends to
be anything more.