Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor. His 1998 album Devil Without a Cause sold 14 million copies worldwide. He is a five-time Grammy Award nominee and has sold 25 million albums in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan. The RIAA certified him selling 23.5 million albums. He has sold over 35 million records worldwide.
Rock performed rap and hip hop with five releases between 1990 and 1997, including a reissue and an EP. After signing a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 1998, he gained commercial success in the rap rock genre behind the singles "Bawitdaba", "Cowboy" and "Only God Knows Why" (the latter foreshadowing his move into country rock). After the success of Devil Without a Cause in 2000, he released The History of Rock, a compilation of remixed and remastered versions of songs from previous albums as well as the hit rock single, "American Bad Ass".