Kid Rock: A True 'Cowboy'

By John "Ace" Abraham

Now, at long last, comes "DEVIL WITHOUT A CAUSE." Here Kid Rockand Co. put the roof on fire and back it up with Detroit throw downs, Start with the kicker of "BAWITDABA" which is this years classic school crowd chant and doses it with chicks in leather and you have an anthem for the graduating class of 1999.

The Kid has been around for the better part of a decade now and in that time, he has built a reputation as the leader in a lonely field of white guy rappers.

But Kid Rock (a.k.a. Bob Ritchie) didn't come out of either New York or Los Angeles. Kid was a product of the Detriot, a middle class suburbanite who grew up on stuff like Bob Seger, Led Zeppelin and Johnny Cash. Still, Kid had a penchant for hip-hop, and after his first experience with the turntables, decided that it was something that he really wanted to do. Last year, Kid cut a deal with Atlantic Records, and in doing so, cleared the path for "Devil Without a Cause," his latest release, and many say his strongest. JNBC was fortunate to catch up Kid as he passed through with the latest tour and prepares for his next with Limp Bizkit and Staind.

JNBC: How's the tour going?

KID: The tour's going great, man. We selling out many of the nights whichis great. We are hitting larger audiences who dig the KID.

JNBC: How are people reacting to the new material?

KID: Very, very well. It's overwhelming, man, 'cause everything'shappening so fuckin' fast.

JNBC: How long have you been at DJ and rapping this is not an over nightsuccess!

KID: I've been professiona, laying down the law--since '89, '90.

JNBC: Talk about the early touring, I hear you started out, you went out onthe road with Ice Cube.

KID: Yeah, it's kinda' weird, man. I did the rap thing back in the early'90s. Then I did the Warped tour, doing the punk rock thing, and now itlooks like I'll finally be able to find my own niche to fit into and play withmyself, literally.

JNBC: What are some changes that you see with yourself and the audiencethen and now?

KID: Back then, I was 18 or 19, just outta high school, a little funkin wildman, and didn't know shit or give a shit. I was just happy to be doing what Iwas doing. Now I pretty much got the business end of this whole thingdown, and I'm actually stacking cash, but still having a good fuckin' time.

JNBC: Are you living the rock star style on the road? Which I think weneed to see more of over the top rock style, Gun and Rose's type stuff.

KID: Absolutely. That's the only place I'm allowed to [live that way],really. When I'm at home, I gotta take care of business. I got afive-year-old boy that I'm raising, who just got custody of, so I'm allbusiness at home, except on the weekends. On the road, I like to say that'swhen I take my space shuttle to hell.

JNBC: Let's talk about the new album?

KID: I think it's the best one yet, and I have gotten better with each album Ifinally put together a smokin' band--Twisted Brown Trucker. We fuckedaround a lot making the album, I can't lie. We got a hot tub in the studio,money in the bank, we started blowin' lines and fuckin' bitches every night.Finally I had to take a plane down to Memphis, drove through the South,and hung out in the French Quarter [of New Orleans] to finish up writing therecord--basically finished up most of the songs lyrically and vocally in, likesix days, after fuckin' off for two months.

JNBC: The label back up the play?

KID: Yeah, they laid out everything. It was unbelievable.

JNBC: Pretty cool label I would say!

KID: It's been fuckin' great. I mean, there're a few key people in therewho absolutely had my back. But I won't sit here and lie to you like everyother group; I went with Atlantic because they kicked out the cash. Nodoubt about it. But still, I told them flat out that I really liked them, and theywere the first ones at the table. They broke it down for me, everything Iwanted. And sometimes, you just gotta take a chance with somebody. Younever know what you're going to get dealing with a major, but the guys thatsigned me were totally straight forward: "We'll sell some records now, and afew years down the line we might kick you off the label." I said, "Fine.That's all I want to hear."

JNBC: What are the differences between the new album and some of thelast ones?

KID: Well, of course, Atlantic had to edit a couple of lyrics. But we allagreed, there's no sense in going with a major label if I wasn't going tomake 'em some hits. They need those to pump the record, get the radiodown with it. That was no problem and I gave 'em that stuff, but I still wantto keep true to all the stuff that I've been doing. I guess a lot of thedifference is that I've developed my voice a lot more so the singing's moreon. Musically, I've gotten into so much more stuff, learned the instrumentsso that, during the show, I'll sit down and pull the Prince or the Hank Jr. anddo this thing with just me and the instruments. I'm just really trying to fuseeverything together, but in a sense, it isn't even fusing, it's just doing what'snatural for me, growing up with Johnny Cash and Lynyrd Skynyrd andHank William and Fleetwood Mac and shit; and then going off on my ownand finding the local ghetto, spinning at basement parties there for five years.That was so long ago.

JNBC: How does coming from Detriot influence your music?

KID: Well, the bar owners are like, "You're so talented. Why do ya' gottaswear and cuss so much?" It's like that here in the South, too. Shit man, I'mfrom Detroit. I go into McDonald's and I'm used to having someone waivin'a gun in my face. Not to mention that this is the way I talk to all my friends.I'm not gonna switch it up on my record.

JNBC: It's just that the Mid West screams of Ted Nugent and Bob Segarkind of a weird for Kid Rock to be into hip-hop. How'd that happen?

KID: God, Who fucking knows. Growing up in the fields, doing the normalchores. I saw someone scratchin' records on the TV one day, and Iimmediately ruined my mom's stereo, one of those home stereos. I cut out apiece of felt, threw it on the turntable, and used the volume knob to scratchall the Beatles records. Then I always used to throw my own dances inJunior High at the church an' shit, and make cash. I started DJing at the highschool dances and one night, a cousin of one of the six black kids in townhappened to be there and asked me to come to the city. I was like, "Yeah, ifyou come pick me up." Everything just kept parlaying from there--talentshows, opening up for Rob Base and BDP [KRS-ONE's Boogie DownProductions].

JNBC: You talk about keeping alive in the rap game on your Devil. What'sthe key to staying alive in this business?

KID: It's just moving at your own pace and trying not to get caught up inany fad, which is really why I wanted to make this record diverse, 'causethis rap / rock thing is so popular right now, but there's a lot of people doingit that I don't to me are just… like 311. I mean, good band and all that Iguess, but I don't care for their shit. If we get five more bands like that, it'sgonna be a fad, and I don't want to get caught in any fad. I didn't want toget caught in the 2Live Crew fad with my foul mouth so I made a lot of deepsongs early in my career. I'm just always trying to do my own thing, and nomatter how big it is, but I was still moving and growing at my own pace.Don't get me wrong. If something would've snapped four years ago and Iwould've shot to the top, I would've taken it like everybody else. Butluckily I always did a steady thing. I watched people come and watched'em go.

JNBC: What's a typical Kid Rock show like?

KID: Pure fuckin' rock and roll, man. 100 percent entertainment. Chick's inleather and bikinis and a good time and the kids are gonna come to theshow, let's gets down, let's party and let's have a good time.

JNBC: Any words for the fans.

KID: See the shows and be true to yourself. And of course always Fuckinparty.

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