Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971 in Romeo, Michigan), known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American musician and actor known for his over-the-top white-trash persona and rap-rocker musical style. He has sold over 25 million records to date.
For a decade before his breakthrough into stardom, he lived a secluded small-town life; releasing obscure albums for his local fan base. His debut album, Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast, was released on Jive Records in 1990 and earned him attention. However, Jive dropped him from the label. Next, he signed with Continuum Records and released The Polyfuze Method in 1993 and Fire It Up in 1994. He sold bootleg dubs of his own records to pay his rent and worked as a janitor at Detroit's famed White Room Studios to save enough money to record his 1996 release Early Morning Stoned Pimp. After this release garnered him local attention, Kid Rock went on to form a backing band, which he called Twisted Brown Trucker.
In 1997 to 1998, the rap-metal music scene was booming with artists such as Korn, Rage Against the Machine and Limp Bizkit. Kid Rock got his big break when Atlantic Records decided to take a chance and sign him to their label. In 1998 he released his debut mainstream album Devil Without A Cause. It sold 11 million albums and contained two #1 hit singles, "Bawitdaba" and "Cowboy".
In 2000 he released The History Of Rock which was a compilation of remixed and mastered versions of songs from old albums as well as ...