In defense of Kid Rock

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The music played in my high school parking lot, Hanahan High School, circa 1992 to be specific, was mostly either hip-hop or country/Southern rock.

Sure there was some Top 40 thrown in, but by and large, the music typically enjoyed by the mostly middle class kids at Hanahan High had its roots in genres created by either poor Southern whites or poor urban blacks.

It's sort of a strange combination when you think about it, yet no one at the time raised an eyebrow when Travis Tritt was followed by Naughty by Nature or the reverse, after a football game, at a house party or on any given lunch break.

Not only does no one combine these genres better than Kid Rock, but it is a testament to his talent that virtually no one else combines these genres.

Performing at the North Charleston Coliseum last week, the Michigan-based rapper/rocker/country artist entertained the audience with his signature hit songs, paying tribute to classic rock, rap and country legends, in both his lyrics and in spirit, delivering one a very entertaining and musically eclectic show.

Rock's heavier material became popular with the rap-metal phase popular in the late '90s, but it is worth noting that his cadence and rhyme structure is far closer to his '80s hip-hop heroes such as Grandmaster Flash and Run DMC than the more rhythmically erratic hip-hop popular today.

On the same note, Rock's country flavor is definitely that of the old school, particularly the popular "outlaw country" genre of the '70s, and his opener, rising country star Jamie Johnson, certainly represented that brand.

Johnson's style is very reminiscent of Hank Williams Jr. or perhaps David Allan Coe, not surprisingly both heroes of Rock's.

I enjoy Kid Rock's music, and certainly enjoyed his performance, but perhaps more importantly, I genuinely respect what he's accomplished.

If someone would have said that the same suburban white kid with a cheesy Kid n' Play-style fade haircut who put out an album called "Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast" in the early '90s would go on to take the hip-hop, rock and country world by storm, no one would have ever believed it.

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I like Kid Rock for exactly the same reasons most hipsters don't. Too-cool-for-school critics say Rock is a redneck, tacky, trashy and he would no doubt plead guilty on all counts.

That's the entire point of what he does. That Rock specifically targets the Waffle House, Wal-Mart and Harley-Davidson audience is to be commended, and it is the lack of respect he receives from the more pretentious music community that only adds to his blue-collar credibility.

I honestly believe Rock only dated Pamela Anderson to bolster his kitschy image, and if this is true, more power to him.

It's a beautiful thing when a Detroit-born rapper can combine Confederate flag-waving country with gangsta-laden hip-hop, bringing black and white, young and old, classic and contemporary all together, culminating in one great entertaining package.

In a way, I'm kind of glad hipsters don't like Kid Rock. Their adoration might contaminate his wonderful, everyman mix.