Kid Rock (Romeo/ Mt. Clemens/ Detroit)

Yes that guy in the picture IS an emcee.. Don't believe me?  Check out some tracks..

Updated with new info in bold... Reviews of Kid Rock albums at bottom...

Kid Rock is an emcee/ DJ from the small town of Romeo, MI close to Mount Clemens, but he spent many of his formative years as "the white guy" in Detroit... Rock was signed to Jive in the early 90's, releasing an album known as Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast.  It featured production from Too Short, D Nice, D Square, Chuck Chillout and others.. The main "hit' of the album was "Wax the Booty," but unfortunately the LP didn't sell. The biggest reason is that Rock is a ruff street m'f, and Jive tried to turn him into a Vanilla Ice clone.. Rock was also a part of one of rap's last great tours with Ice Cube, Yo Yo, Too Short and more.. These are topics he discusses in "I Wanna Go Back."

In 1993, Kid Rock dropped the underground classic, The Polyfuse Method. This was on some drug enduced psycho gangsta shit, and it is out of print.. It was recently re-released as The Polyfuse Method Revisited, containing a few bonus tracks that weren't worth much.... Overall, I was very disappointed with this album, after hearing it was supposed to be Rock's best.  The first few tracks have Rock dropping some syllables, but after that he gets corny.. The best track is "Desperate Rado"-- peep it..

Then in early 1996, Kid Rock dropped another dope album-- Early Morning Stoned Pimp. The production is heavy in instrumentation, ranging from Curtis Mayfield like joints ("EMSP"), to straight up metal/ rap stuff ("Where U At Rock"). As far as lyrical content, Rock is contend to "stick with what got him paid," on joints like "Classic Rock," and also get a little deep for you too.. "Black Chick, White Guy" tells Rock's life story in a very soulful manner, and "I Wanna Go Back" discusses his trials with Jive and coming up in the rap game, as well as the world... And for some straight up dope ass hip hop shit, check "Paid," the chorus is so dope!

Rumor has it that Kid Rock has been signed to a big label to drop his fourth album. If he has, I'm sure he has learned from his experience with Jive, and the new album will be tight..  If you can come across either of Rock's last two albums, do it. If you find Polyfuse, pick up any extra copy for your buddy Fard!

Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast
Polyfuse Method
Early Morning Stoned Pimp

Kid Rock/ Grits Sandwiches For Breakfast (1990) [cd]
Beats 3, Rhymes 3, Creativity 3
Overall: 3 (Good)
| Jive | Top Dawg |
This is one of the more obscure albums Jive ever released... Jive, though committed to maintaining a street cred via artists like KRS, ATCQ and Too Short, has always wanted that pop fame too. When DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince started falling off, they scrambled for a lookalike/ soundalike group to fill that role.  When Vanilla Ice Ice Baby blew up, they were in search of a great white hope. Unfortunately, Kid Rock is who they chose.....  Rock was part of one of hip hop's last great tours, with Cube, Short, D Nice, Yo Yo and others. I bet you didn't know that. This album also features production by Short, D Nice, D Square (of BDP) and Mike Clark-- who would go on to expose the world to the ICP. No matter how hard Jive tried to fuck up Rock's career, he still dropped a gem here and there. "Yo Da Lin In The Valley" is a cunninglus joint before the Beatnuts self titled CD; and "Wax The Booty" produced by Too Short is funky as Foxy Brown on her period. "Pimp of the Nation" is a decent conceptual for the times as well.  But overall, Kid Rock got railroaded.  It was a gamble, and it did not pay off. Years later, Rock would resurface with the incredibly acclaimed independant The Polyfuse Method. This album is considered a TRUE hip hop classic by many in the know, but sadly, it is all but extinct.  I can't find a copy anywhere.
Best Cut: "Wax The Booty"

Kid Rock/ The Polyfuse Method (1993)
Beats 3, Rhymes 3, Creativity 3.5
Overall: 3 (Good)
| Top Dog |
I had been looking for this album for years-- asking every record store if they could order it, and the answer was always "NO." Then while chillin' in the Sag-Nasty, I went over to see what they had in the listening booth, and there was a local artist rack. Sitting before my eyes was the coveted Polyfuse Method-- revisited-- a '97 re-release of the '93 album.. I popped in the disc and the first few tracks were UNBELIEVABLE! "Killin Brain Cells," and "The Prodigal Son" were excellent songs, combining mult-syllabic flows with some nice beats, everything was done very creatively.. "The Cramper," and "3 Sheets to the Wind" followed, and while not as good as the first two tracks, they were still tight. Then came "I am the Bullgod"-- and surprise-- it is NOT a RAP song!??!!?  What? It appears that Rock was trying to instill some Beastie Boy flavor in the LP, as there are several other songs that follow suit. After the next song, "Desperate Rado," which is a very humorous and creative cut, the remaining 11 tracks aren't very good.  They range from alternative rock to BAD mono syllabic uncreative rap over guitars.  Certainly not what I was waiting two years for.
Best Cut: "Desperate Rado"

Kid Rock/ Early Morning Stoned Pimp (1996) [cd]
Beats 3.5, Rhymes 3.5, Creativity 4.5
Overall: 4 (Dope)
| Top Dawg |
Damn!  Funky, organic shit.  No samples, just drums, guitar, bass, scratches, etc. Kid Rock is pictured on the front sitting on a bed, smoking a fag, playing a guitar-- this is a white guy with long hair.. Not your typical hip hop album cover. But when you pop it in, you're let in on the wisdom "There ain't no party like a Detroit party," and then comes the funky ass title cut, complete with old style crooning. The next cut is "Paid," and features a sultry soul singer belting "Fuck me baby, Kid Rock come fuck me baby... Fuck me baby, fuck me baby, all night long..."  Hmmm...  Kid Rock sticks with this theme on the dope "Classic Rock," in which he states not only "You'd shit your pants if I licked your cunt," but also "I fuck so hard I make the pussy fart."  Damn. "I Wanna Go Back" has Rock lamenting over some lost friends. Lost, not to gunshots, but to personal disagreements, which Rock admits are mostly his fault. He also reminises on hip hop's last great tour, of which he was a part of. "Freestyle Rhyme," though not a freestyle, features a funky worm sample in a unique way and has Rock throwing disses at the ICP-- "Is there anything wacker than a wicked clown? (nope)/ some people just don't get it/ they have no talent so they hide behind a gimmick, I ain't wid it!" WORD IS BOND. Rock may get a little too heavy on the guitar on "Where You At Rock," but his lyrics are dope. "I'll put my arm around your neck like we're cool, then I'll break it." Ouch. A few cuts DO misfire. "Live" claims to feature Esham, but I don't hear him. Its a lo fi recording of Rock on stage on the 1 and 2s and then kicking a freestyle in which he states he "licks more coochie than KD Lang." Overall, the song is not worthwhile. "Detroit Thang," featuring the Howling Diablos misses its mark entirely. "Ya Keep On," "Shotgun Blast," "Krack Rock" and "The Prodigal Son Returns" are also not worthy of Rock's more stellar material.  But the final cut, "Black Chic, White Guy" is the dopest on the album, truly a gem. It has Rock telling the story of his life and love. It is a misty eyed tear jerker of a tale that will leave you thinking about it like a good movie. EMSP is a dope album, and a true credit to Detroit/ Michigan hip hop.  Peep it!