Legendary Detroit cult hero Kid Rock has been assaulting the underground for almost a decade now, fusing hip-hop and rock and laying down the blueprint for the current rap-metal explosion. Along with the Beastie Boys, Kid Rock has been using a combination of samples, beats, and live band jams to create a hard-hitting sound that is both danceable and moshable. After three awesome albums and one hard-to-find EP, Kid Rock has triumphantly returned to the scene with his best album yet, Devil Without A Cause, a no-holds-barred, punk/ metal blowout that laces white trash humor with B-boy attitude.

Born Bob Ritchie, Kid Rock grew up in Romeo, Michigan and was weaned on a mix of early hip-hop, a la the Fat Boys and Run-DMC, and Detroit icons such as Bob Seger, the MC5 and the Stooges. After a slew of demo tapes and club appearances, Rock was discovered by D Nice from Boogie Down Productions and brought to Jive Records, where he was quickly signed. In 1990, Grits Sandwiches For Breakfast was released and boasted production credits from Nice and Oakland nasty rap icon Too $hort. The album, a mix of guitar-laced, old-school hip-hop and 2 Live Crew-style sex jams, spawned the cult classic "Yodeling In The Valley." A national tour with Ice Cube, Poor Righteous Teachers and the Geto Boys followed, and Rock quickly built a national following of sex-crazed, beer-drinkin' teens who loved his rebellious stance and funky music.

In 1993, Rock hooked up with Continuum Records and released his colossal sophomore effort, Polyfuze Method, a way-ahead-of-its-time, acid-drenched, funk-metal-rock-rap album complete with side-splitting lyrics and headbangin' beats. That same year, Rock made headlines when his Howard Stern-sample-heavy song, "Balls In Your Mouth," got a college radio station fined $30,000 for playing it on the air. The rare EP Fire It Up (which featured an early version of Rock's latest hit single, "I Am The Bullgod") was next, but by this time Rock and Continuum were coming to blows and the rapper quickly left the label.

After a couple of years of touring hard and demoing new tracks, Rock finally began work on his next album at Detroit 's infamous White Room Studios. Early Morning Stoned Pimp, released in 1996 on his own Top Dog Records, expanded on the themes and idea of Polyfuze, creating a diverse musical landmine that found him pairing up with members of the Black Crowes, Big Chief and the Howling Diablos. Quite simply, Stoned Pimp was an awesome album; imagine a ferocious, indie Beastie Boys on much heavier drugs, with an arsenal of one-liners, and a sh-tkicking backing band. The record eventually garnered enough sales and attention to land Rock a deal with Lava/ Atlantic and the promise of a new beginning.

In 1998, Rock released his hardest, most dynamic, yet most commercially accessible album to date, Devil Without A Cause. It features a couple of smokin' remakes from Stoned Pimp, like the pounding metal rap "Where U At Rock" and the disarmingly vulnerable "Black Chic, White Guy," as well as a slew of brand-new compositions. The rock tracks, like "Bawitdaba" and "Fist Of Rage," are heavier than ever, while the funkier tunes like "Wasting Time" and "I Got One For Ya" groove harder than ever before. But the real surprise on the album is the inclusion of a country ballad, "Only God Knows Why," a tender, melodic power ballad complete with Peter Frampton-esque vocal effects. The single, the aforementioned update of "I Am The Bullgod," has picked up massive radio play and become an MTV staple (Rock even appeared on MTV's Fashionably Loud special).