The recent news of Kid Rock shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. From him going on a profane rant against Oprah, then abandoning the contract for his “Made In Detroit” restaurant which sits at Little Caesars Arena, he’s proving himself to be on thin ice with Detroiters. Chris Granger, from Illitch Holdings, which owns LCA, released a statement regarding Kid Rock’s now-defunct restaurant.
“We have been in contact with Kid Rock. He has voluntarily decided not to renew his licensing agreement for the Kid Rock’s Made in Detroit restaurant which comes up for renewal in April. We are in the business of amazing and inspiring our fans and guests through an incredible array of world-class sporting and live entertainment events. As our venues are open, inviting, inclusive, and respectful to all, we look forward to bringing on an exciting new concept that aligns with our community and company values.”
To add insult to injury, he made a lengthy Facebook post defending his comments and doubling-down on the support that he’s shown Detroit and the black community.
“I appreciate all who have patronized our place and still have much love for the City of Detroit and the people, organizations that I have helped there for years, black, white, whatever,” Kid Rock said. “I learned long ago, go where you’re celebrated, not tolerated. I may be guilty of being a loud-mouth jerk at times, but trying to label me racist is a joke, and actually only does a disservice to the black community, which I have supported my entire life, by trying to alienate myself and many others.”
I’m not going to insert the comments that Kid Rock said about Oprah, The View host Joy Behar or comedian Kathy Griffin, but it’s notable to point out that he may not mind being disrespectful toward women. His 2000 interview with Rolling Stone proves this:
Rolling Stone: From your songs, there are plenty of reasons for people to think that you can be pretty disrespectful and sometimes even hateful to women.
Kid Rock: Sometimes I can. Sometimes I am. It’s no secret.
You can read the rest for yourself, but I should warn you, it’s pretty graphic in detail.
If you aren’t from Detroit, you would think that Kid Rock is the city mascot. The way he boasts about Detroit and his “support” for blacks would make his Facebook rant appear to be liquid gold. But, if you take a deeper look at a few photos at “Made In Detroit,” on Twitter, it will make you scratch your head.
The photographer didn’t capture an accurate depiction of Detroit. Does this mean Kid Rock is a racist? Not at all. But, the pictures do scream a thousand words toward black Detroiters who feel left out due to the downtown resurgence. Not to mention, a black woman who worked at the restaurant just settled out of court due to racial discrimination.
In recent years, there’ve been prominent groups and organizations that have supported Kid Rock. For example, in 2011, he received the “Great Expectations Award” from the NAACP in Detroit. Even then, he was met with criticism because of his relationship with the Confederate Flag, which is deemed as a symbol of hate in the black community. He responded to the criticism by saying:
“I love America. I love Detroit, and I love black people.”
He received the NAACP award due to his contributions to Detroit recreation centers, Habitat for Humanity, Feeding America West Michigan Bank, and many others.
Kid Rock, your admittance toward being supportive of all and not being racist may be true, but your actions prove otherwise. Your monetary contributions toward Detroit clubs and organizations speak volumes, so better was expected from you. A drunken-rant toward a black woman (and other women) doesn’t help your case of being supportive of black people. If you’re going to wave your Detroit flag proudly, there’s a certain responsibility that comes with that. You’ve been celebrated in Detroit for a long time, but the city can’t tolerate this behavior from you any longer. For now, we’ll re-evaluate our relationship with you and move on from there. We appreciate your support for the City of Detroit.
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