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Devil Without a Cause

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Untitled

Devil Without a Cause is the fourth studio album by Kid Rock. Released on August 18, 1998, the album saw Kid Rock continuing to develop his sound, moving away from the predominately hip hop sound of his previous albums to a largely rap metal and hard rock sound, and marked the finalization of his stage persona as a redneck pimp. Additionally, the song "Cowboy" is seen as being instrumental in the development of the new fusion genre country rap.

The album was a major commercial success. Spurred by the popularity of the hit single "Bawitdaba", the album sold 14 million copies, and was certified platinum 11 times. The album also received critical acclaim for its genre mixing sound.

Background

In 1997, Jason Flom, head of Lava Records, attended one of Kid Rock's performances, and met with Kid Rock, who later gave him a demo containing the songs "Somebody's Gotta Feel This" and "I Got One for Ya", which led to Kid Rock signing with Atlantic Records.[2][3] As part of his recording deal, Kid Rock received $150,000 from the label.[4] By this time, Kid Rock had fully developed his pimp stage persona and rap metal musical style and wanted to make a "redneck, shit-kicking rock 'n' roll rap" album.[2]

Recording

The album was recorded at the White Room in Detroit and mixed at the Mix Room in Los Angeles.[2] With the introduction of disc jockey and turntablist Uncle Kracker into Kid Rock's backing band, Twisted Brown Trucker was given a "melodic sensibility", according to Kid Rock's attorney, Tommy Valentino; Kracker cowrote many of the album's songs, helping Kid Rock write verses and giving him feedback on his lyrics.[2] In addition to the newly written songs, the band also re-recorded some of Kid Rock's older songs, including "I Am the Bullgod" from Kid Rock's earlier EP Fire It Up and "Black Chick, White Guy" from the album Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp.[2][5] During the recording sessions, Eminem was mixing The Slim Shady LP at the same studio, and, being friends with Kid Rock, asked him to record scratching for Eminem's song "My Fault", which was set to appear on Eminem's album; in return, Eminem delivered a guest rap verse on Kid Rock's song "Fuck Off" for this album.[2]

Style

The music on Devil Without a Cause is noted for its eclectic sound, which draws from genres such as arena rock,[6] country music,[6] heartland rock,[6] heavy metal[6][7] and hip hop.[7][6] This sound has predominately been categorized by critics and journalists as rap metal[8][9][10][11] and hard rock.[12][13] It was also associated with nu metal.[14] Kid Rock's music has been described by Pitchfork as a cross between Run-DMC, Lynyrd Skynyrd and AC/DC.[15] MTV compared Kid Rock's songs "I Am the Bullgod" and "Roving Gangster (Rollin')" to a cross between Alice in Chains and Public Enemy.[7]

According to Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "The key to [the album's] success is that it's never trying to be a hip-hop record. It's simply a monster rock album."[12] Erlewine credits Kid Rock's backing band, Twisted Brown Trucker, for crafting a sound defined by "thunderous, funky noise -- and that's funky not just in the classic sense, but also in a Southern-fried, white trash sense, as he gives this as much foundation in country as he does hip-hop."[12] Erlewine believes the album's sound owed influence to Bob Seger, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Van Halen." Erlewine also believed the album was "firmly in the tradition of classic hard rock".[12]

Music and lyrics

"Bawitdaba" has been described as having a nu metal sound.[16][17] Its chorus has been described as a "neo-gregorian drone"; this chorus was derived from the Marcels' recording of "Blue Moon"[18] and the Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight".[19][20][18] The lyrics of the song are dedicated to "chicks with beepers" and the I.R.S., as well as "all the crackheads, the critics, the cynics / And all my heroes in the methadone clinic."[21] In the demo recording of the song, Kid Rock shouts, "Now get in the pit and try to kill someone!"[21] On the album version, Kid Rock changed the lyrics, replacing the word "kill" with "love". Regarding the change, Kid Rock told the Baltimore Sun that he was glad he changed the lyrics, explaining that mosh pits are about coexistence.[21]

The country rap[4][22] song "Cowboy" was newly written for the album.[2] It is a fusion of hip hop, country music, Southern rock and heavy metal.[22] Billboard, as well as Kid Rock himself, described the song as a cross between Run DMC and Lynyrd Skynyrd.[23][19] The instrumentation includes Jew's harp, blues harmonica and a piano solo.[19] The lyrics feature Kid Rock rapping about moving to California to become a pimp, and start an escort service "for all the right reasons", located at the top of the Four Seasons hotel, as well as getting thrown out of bars and buying a yacht.[19][24]

"I Am the Bullgod", according to AXS, was a tribute to the band Monster Magnet.[22] azcentral described the song's style as Southern rock, with elements of funk.[19] The lyrics refer to drinking Jim Beam bourbon whiskey;[25] Kid Rock declares that "I am free and I feel all that is forsaken"[24] and that "I never was cool with James Dean", a reference to the actor who starred in the film that inspired this album's title, Rebel Without a Cause.[24]

The song "Wasting Time" contains an interpolation of Fleetwood Mac's "Second Hand News".[7] "Welcome 2 the Party (Ode 2 the Old School)" refers to Orson Welles' Paul Masson adverts with the lyric "I will serve no rhymes before their time".[26] "Where U At Rock?" references philosopher Ayn Rand.[26]

"Only God Knows Why" is a country ballad, noted for its prominent use of autotune.[8][19][27][28] The lyrics of "Black Chick, White Guy" deal with Kid Rock's ten-year off-and-on relationship with a classmate named Kelley South Russell, with whom he fathered two children, but broke up with her after finding out that a third child he was raising wasn't his, after which he gained custody of his son, Robert James Ritchie Jr.; these events became the inspiration for this song, which discusses them directly, although Russell denies some of the allegations made against her in the lyrics.[2][5][29]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Pitchfork(1.3/10)[30]
Robert ChristgauA−[11]
Rolling Stone Album Guide[18]

Critical reviews

The album received critical acclaim upon release.[31] Robert Christgau gave the album an A-, writing, "Belatedly fulfilling the rap-metal promise of Licensed to Ill, [Kid Rock] makes the competition sound clownish, limp, and corny, respectively, and the Eminem cameo is a draw [...] [Kid Rock] is, and I quote, all of that and a bag of chips."[11]

The Rolling Stone Album Guide gave the album four out of five stars, its byline hailing it as "a trailer trash triumph of metal guitars, hip-hop beats, and I'm-an-American-band egomania."[18] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, in a retrospective review for Allmusic, gave the album four and a half out of five stars, writing, "[Kid Rock] came up with the great hard rock album of the late '90s -- a fearlessly funny, bone-crunching record that manages to sustain its strength, not just until the end of its long running time, but through repeated plays."[12]

In a rare negative review, however, Pitchfork gave the album 1.3 out of 10, writing, "The hook is that Devil Without A Cause combines rap with metal, but this combination's already been done a million times, and in each case, the result was better than this. Do you really need predictable pimping rhymes over wack-ass metal beats with third- tier, grunge- derived choruses among your records? I ask you: is this what you're missing from your life?"[30]

Commercial performance

Through extensive promoting, including appearances on HBO, MTV (including a performance alongside Aerosmith and Run-DMC) and performing at Woodstock 1999, Devil Without a Cause sold 14 million copies, the album's success spurred by Kid Rock's breakthrough hit single "Bawitdaba".[32][4][2][33][34][35]

By April 1999, the album was certified gold, and the following month it was certified platinum, a certification the album received 11 times.[36] The album has since been certified diamond.[37]

In 2000, Kid Rock was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist, despite having been active in the music industry for over 10 years.[32]

Legacy

The album continued to be popular long after its release, and in 2012, Kid Rock said that he wanted to re-record the album in its entirety, partly to celebrate the album's 15th anniversary, and partly because he wanted to record a new version of the album so he would own the master recordings.[38][39][40]

The album's critical appraisal has continued long after the album's release, with Allmusic labeling Devil Without a Cause a "rap-rock masterpiece".[9] The song "Cowboy" is considered by AXS to be the first in the country rap genre; Cowboys & Indians claims that Kid Rock's song had a major impact on the country music scene and that artists Jason Aldean and Big & Rich, among others, were influenced by the song.[4][22]

15 years after the album's release, The Village Voice writer Chaz Kangas praised Kid Rock's artistry, writing, "in the Clinton era when your most viable pop stars were pristine teen-pop sensations, raucous nu-metal antagonists or alternative-to-alternative-to-alternative rock weirdos, Rock stood alone."[41] Praising the song "Cowboy", Kangas called it "one track from this era that’s timeless without even trying to be."[41]

Loudwire named Devil Without a Cause one of the 10 best hard rock albums of 1998.[13] Classic Rock magazine named Devil Without a Cause one of 10 essential rap metal albums.[10] Blender named Devil Without a Cause one of the 100 greatest American albums.[42] The album was also listed as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[43]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bawitdaba"Kid Rock, Matthew Shafer, Jason Krause, David Parker, Sylvia Robinson4:27
2."Cowboy"Kid Rock, Matthew Shafer, John Travis, James Trombly4:17
3."Devil Without a Cause" (featuring Joe C.)Kenny Olson, Kid Rock, Matthew Shafer, Too $hort, Larry Smith, Jalil "Whodini" Hutchins5:32
4."I Am the Bullgod"Kid Rock4:50
5."Roving Gangster (Rollin')"Kid Rock, Matthew Shafer, Mark Morales, Darren Robinson, Andy Nehra, Damon Wimbley4:24
6."Wasting Time"Kid Rock, Matthew Shafer, Lindsey Buckingham4:02
7."Welcome 2 the Party (Ode 2 the Old School)"Kid Rock, Matthew Shafer, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland, Brian Holland5:14
8."I Got One for Ya'" (featuring Robert Bradley)Kenny Olson, Kid Rock, Matthew Shafer, John Travis, Jerry Williams3:43
9."Somebody's Gotta Feel This"Kid Rock, Matthew Shafer, Kenny Olson, John Travis3:09
10."Fist of Rage"Kid Rock, Matthew Shafer, John Travis3:23
11."Only God Knows Why"Kid Rock, Matthew Shafer, John Travis5:27
12."Fuck Off" (featuring Eminem, does not appear on clean version)Kid Rock, Matthew Shafer, Marshall Mathers, Jason Krause6:13
13."Where U at Rock"Kid Rock4:24
14."Black Chick, White Guy" (does not appear on clean version) / "I Am the Bullgod (Remix)" (The song "Black Chick, White Guy" ends at 7:07 and the remix begins at 7:10; the remix is presented as a hidden track on the compact disc, but is credited on digital services)Kid Rock12:01

Personnel

Charts

Album

Chart (1998-2000) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[44] 79
Austrian Albums Chart[45] 28
Canadian Albums Chart[46] 17
German Albums Chart[47] 82
New Zealand Albums Chart[47] 14
UK Albums Chart 172
US Billboard 200[48] 4

Year-end charts

Chart (2000) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[49] 15

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[50] 4× Platinum 400,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[51] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[52] 11× Platinum 11,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (25 December 1999). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Kid Rock before the fame: The definitive Detroit oral history".
  3. ^ "Interview Andy Karp Vice President of A&R at Lava/Atlantic in New York". AtlanticRecordsContact.com. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b c d "Kid Rock - C&I Magazine". July 1, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Scaggs, Austin (2007-10-18). "Kid Rock's Cure for Heartbreak". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  6. ^ a b c d e https://www.allmusic.com/album/cocky-mw0000016752
  7. ^ a b c d "Kid Rock Raps With The Devil".
  8. ^ a b "Nu Metal Meltdown". MTV. Archived from the original on 2003-02-01. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) (Retrieved on September 21st, 2015)
  9. ^ a b "Rap-Rock Music Genre Overview - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  10. ^ a b "The 10 Essential Rap Metal Albums". 26 October 2016.
  11. ^ a b c Christgau, Robert (May 25, 1999). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Stephen Thomas Erlewine (1998-08-18). "Devil Without a Cause – Kid Rock | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
  13. ^ a b "10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1998". Loudwire.
  14. ^ Hasted, Nick (2016). Jack White: How He Built an Empire From the Blues: Enhanced Edition. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9781783238842. Kid Rock, who helped create the rap-rock/nu-metal phenomenon with Devil Without A Cause (1998), wilfully fled to the ghetto from Detroit's furthest, quaintest, very white village, Romeo.
  15. ^ "The Unlikely Resurgence of Rap Rock - Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  16. ^ "They Did It All for the Nookie: Decibel Explores the Rise and Fall of Nu-Metal". Decibel. 2015-08-13. Retrieved 2018-02-02. (August 13th, 2005). Retrieved on September 15th, 2015
  17. ^ Josh Chesler. "10 Nu-Metal Songs That Actually Don't Suck". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  18. ^ a b c d "Kid Rock: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-03-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ a b c d e f "15 Best Kid Rock singles, from 'Bawitdaba' to 'First Kiss'". amp.azcentral.com.
  20. ^ ""Bawitdaba" by Kid Rock".
  21. ^ a b c Tolentino, Jia (18 August 2016). "Song of the Summer: "Bawitdaba," by Kid Rock" – via www.newyorker.com.
  22. ^ a b c d Lealos, Shawn S. (2014-11-25). "The 10 best Kid Rock songs". AXS (company). Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  23. ^ Dauphin, Chuck (2017-08-04). "Kid Rock's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  24. ^ a b c Freedburg, Michael (1999-02-09). "Straight out the Trailer". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
  25. ^ "Kid Rock eyes new album mixing musical styles". 26 October 2011.
  26. ^ a b Eddy, Chuck (2017-07-18). "Guns, Unions and Globalism: The Evolution of Kid Rock's Musical Populism". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  27. ^ Bregitzer, Lorne (2 February 2018). "Secrets of Recording: Professional Tips, Tools & Techniques". Taylor & Francis – via Google Books.
  28. ^ Pappademas, Alex. "Really Now, What's So Bad About Auto-Tune Pop?".
  29. ^ "Kid Rock Takes Role of Fatherhood Seriously". The Boot.
  30. ^ a b "Kid Rock: Devil Without A Cause: Pitchfork Review". 2001-12-23. Archived from the original on 2001-12-23. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
  31. ^ http://acclaimedmusic.net/album/A3734.htm
  32. ^ a b "Kid Rock". Biography.com.
  33. ^ "Top 40 Most Iconic MTV Spring Break Performances". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  34. ^ LLC, SPIN Media (1 October 1999). "SPIN". SPIN Media LLC. Retrieved 6 January 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  35. ^ "HBO Show To Feature Kid Rock, Sugar Ray, Alanis". MTV News. July 15, 1999. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  36. ^ "RIAA Certifications for albums by Kid Rock: Gold and Platinum". RIAA.com. Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on September 15, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (2016-09-29). "All 92 Diamond-Certified Albums Ranked From Worst to Best: Critic's Take". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  38. ^ "Kid Rock Plans to Re-Record 'Devil Without a Cause'". Rolling Stone. 2012-11-23. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  39. ^ "Kid Rock Re-Recording 'Devil Without a Cause,' Eyeing 'Rebel Soul' Follow-Up".
  40. ^ "Kid Rock to Re-Record 'Devil Without a Cause' Album, Premieres 'Let's Ride' Video". Loudwire.
  41. ^ a b Kangas, Chaz (2013-06-27). "In Defense of Kid Rock: Try Hating These Classics". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
  42. ^ "[BLENDER: Articles]". 2 June 2002.
  43. ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
  44. ^ "Discography Kid Rock". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 25, 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  45. ^ "Kid Rock - Devil Without a Cause". Austrian Album Charts (in German). Hung Medien. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  46. ^ "Canadian Albums Chart - September 17, 1999". Billboard.
  47. ^ a b "Kid Rock - Devil Without a Cause". charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  48. ^ "Billboard 200 - March 11, 2000". Billboard.
  49. ^ "Billboard Year-end Albums Chart 2000". Billboard.
  50. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Kid Rock – Devil Without a Cause". Music Canada.
  51. ^ "British album certifications – Kid Rock – Devil Without a Cause". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Devil Without a Cause in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  52. ^ "American album certifications – Kid Rock – Devil Without a Cause". Recording Industry Association of America.
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