Music / Business & brands
Kid Rock
born 1971 · singer, rapper, songwriter
Macomb County-born rap-rocker who came up in the 1980s Detroit hip-hop scene and made his breakthrough album Devil Without a Cause at a downtown Detroit studio.
- Born
Romeo, Michigan
age 55- Birth name
- Robert James Ritchie
- Also known as
- Bobby Ritchie
- Detroit years
- 1971–
- Field
- Music, Business & brands
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Kid Rock was born Robert Ritchie in Romeo, in northern Macomb County, and attended Romeo High School. In the 1980s he got into hip-hop, taught himself to breakdance, rap and DJ, and competed in talent shows around Detroit. His 1990 debut on Jive Records made him, with independent rapper Esham, one of the two biggest rap names in Detroit, and he toured nationally with Ice Cube. Back home he recorded at White Room Studios in downtown Detroit, where producers pushed him to sing as well as rap, and where he cut Devil Without a Cause (1998), the multi-platinum album behind “Bawitdaba” and “Cowboy.” He later moved toward country rock with hits such as “All Summer Long.” His public image has drawn controversy: he displayed the Confederate flag at concerts from 2001 to 2006, and in 2019 he closed his Made in Detroit restaurant at Little Caesars Arena after a backlash over remarks he made. He divides his time between Michigan, Nashville and Alabama.
Highlights
- Came up in Detroit's 1980s hip-hop and talent-show scene
- Recorded Devil Without a Cause (1998) at White Room Studios, downtown Detroit
- Hits include “Bawitdaba,” “Cowboy” and “All Summer Long”
- Ran Kid Rock's Made in Detroit restaurant at Little Caesars Arena, 2017–2019
- Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame's celebrity wing, 2018
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Recorded here · 1990s
White Room Studios
Status being checked
Downtown Detroit studio run by brothers Michael and Andrew Nehra, where he recorded the Fire It Up EP and Devil Without a Cause.
Founded · 2017–2019
Little Caesars Arena
Closed · 2017–2019
Southern-style restaurant and bar he founded inside the arena that opened in September 2017; he closed it in December 2019.