Released April 18, 2000 Length 4:32 | Recorded 1996–2000 | |
Writer(s) |
"American Bad Ass" is a rap metal song by the American musician Kid Rock, released from his 2000 album The History of Rock. "American Bad Ass" uses the instrumental structure of Metallica's "Sad but True." The song was a victory lap for Devil Without a Cause's success.
Contents
Content
He also gave nods to his musical heroes, in this order: AC/DC, ZZ Top, Bocephus, Beastie Boys, Kings of Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Seger, Limp Bizkit, Korn, The Rolling Stones, David Allan Coe, No Show Jones, Liberace, The Clash, Johnny Cash, and Grandmaster Flash.
His hometown Detroit is mentioned throughout with different nicknames including City of Truth, Detroit Rock City and Motown.
In the song, the word "Oklahoma", a reference to the Oklahoma City bombing with the deaths of 154 civilians, eight law enforcement officers, and six military personnel, is edited out, as the record label didn't want to cause offense.
Music video
The music video for the single aired on MTV2 upon release, and reached #1 on Canada's MuchMusic Countdown. The song was performed on Saturday Night Live.
At the beginning, Kid Rock watches TV and then after going to a rapping party, he goes to a concert on a cabriolet, surrounded by bikers. At the middle of the song, Kid Rock's car explodes and the thrash metal party starts to play. At the end of the video, Kid Rock with his band plays at a concert on the stage.
The video features a cameo appearance by Ron Jeremy.
In popular culture
Track listing
- "American Bad Ass" (clean album version)
- "3 Sheets to the Wind" (Live)
- "Cowboy" (Live)
Parody
In 2001, the American glam metal band Tuff made a parody of this song, named "American Hair Band".