Kid Rock - Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp (1996)

“Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp” was Kid Rock's third full length album, It was distributed by his own label, Top Dog Records. Kid Rock used the money he made from his 1994/1995 monthly Bootleg Series cassettes as well as becoming the janitor at The White Room Studios to purchase recording time.  White boy rap is bad enough, but Kid Rock can take the irritation to a whole new level. That’s what I used to think. Turns out… the Kid is actually bona fide. Behind that shit-eating grin and those stoner-red slits is a driven SOB that not only survived two failed record deals (including one with Jive as early as 1990), but who fought his way back to self-release this 1996 album, “Early Mornin‘ Stoned Pimp”. Ironically, most of his fans have never even heard it. It was printed in small quantities two years before his breakthrough, is way out-of-print and currently changes hands for collector’s prices. The title track is an R&B/rap throwback that eventually gets hijacked by piano & Hammond riffs that just flat-out groove, while “Detroit Thang“ shows that Kid’s gang gets some of their inspiration from good, old-fashioned basement funk. "Intro" has been used by the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons at their games. You can’t help but note the live drums & samples and elements of street-level blues. Lyrically, it’s what you’d expect lots of cock-talk about getting ripped, laid & paid. Plenty of Pimp is just over the top, as Rock raps like he’s already a star. Singing about “getting paid like Trump” while janitoring to pay studio fees is priceless. But the fact that Kid Rock though sheer determination managed to turn his pre-fame, wanna-be braggadocio into a cartoon-worthy reality is props you’ve gotta give him. TAKE THE KID ROCK CHALLENGE: Make it through both tunes below & you might gain a different perspective on Kid Rock.

Track listing

01. "Intro"  - 0:50
02. "Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp" (feat. Tino)   (Robert J. Ritchie)  - 7:18
03. "Paid"  - 5:15
04. "I Wanna Go Back" - 5:14
05. "Live" (featuring Esham)  - 2:34
06. "Detroit Thang" (feat. The Howling Diablos)   (R.J. Ritchie, Martin Gross)  - 6:22
07. "Ya Keep On"  - 3:55
08. "Shotgun Blast"  - 2:18
09. "Freestyle Rhyme"  - 3:57
10. "Classic Rock"  - 2:42
11. "My Name Is Rock"  - 4:30
12. "Where U At Rock"  - 5:08
13. "Krack Rocks" (feat. Uncle Kracker)   (Matt Shafer, R.J. Ritchie)  - 4:09
14. "The Prodigal Son Returns"  - 3:16
15. "Black Chick, White Guy"  - 7:10
16. "Outro"  - 0:38

Guest Performers
Esham
The Howling Diablos
Uncle Kracker

Notes
Engineer, Mixed By, Producer, Recorded By – Kid Rock
Musical Assistance [Assistance From] – Al Sutton, Andy Nehra*, Dave Piechura, Mike Nehra*
Recorded:  July 1994-December 1995 at: White Rooms Studio Detroit, MI
Genre:  Hardcore Rap, Rap-Rock
Length:  65:59
Label:  Top Dog Records

© 1996