Claim: Atlantic Records gave Kid Rock a recording contract that he signed.

Robert James Ritchie -LRB- born January 17 , 1971 -RRB- , 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 and he was Soundscan 's number-one selling male solo musician of the 2000s , selling 17.6 million albums ; he was 17th overall for the decade .   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 '' -LRB- the latter foreshadowing his move into country rock -RRB- . 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 '' .   Rock 's follow-up records became more rock - , country - , and blues-oriented , starting with 2001 's Cocky . His collaboration with Sheryl Crow on the song `` Picture '' was his first country hit and biggest pop hit in the US to date charting at No. 4 on the Hot 100 . After 2003 's Kid Rock and 2006 's Live Trucker sales declined from the previous releases , he then released Rock n Roll Jesus in 2007 . The album featured the song `` All Summer Long '' , which charted at No. 1 in eight countries across Europe and Australia . In 2010 , he released Born Free , which featured an eponymous song that became the political campaign theme of Mitt Romney , the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 election .   Rock released Rebel Soul on November 19 , 2012 behind the rock hit `` Let 's Ride '' . The album was certified gold in April 2013 . Kid Rock released First Kiss on February 24 , 2015 behind the hit title track .