(The Hill) — Singer Kid Rock faced heat this week after a Rolling Stone journalist claimed the singer brandished a gun and repeatedly used the N-word during an interview for the magazine.
Kid Rock, born Robert James Ritchie, recently sat for an interview with David Peisner, who published an expansive profile on the musician Sunday night. The profile, titled “How Kid Rock Went From America’s Favorite Hard-Partying Rock Star to a MAGA Mouthpiece,” delved into Rock’s rise to fame and how he subsequently became a high-profile figure in the far-right movement.
Recounting the interview in Rock’s home music studio, Peisner said the two discussed political topics including the 2024 presidential election, transgender rights and illegal immigration, when at one point, the “Picture” singer pulled out a handgun and waved it around.
“By this time, I’ve long since quit drinking, but Ritchie has exchanged his white wine for Jim Beam and Diet Coke,” Peisner wrote. “He proceeds to drain at least three or four of them in pretty quick succession. He’s sitting in a dark leather chair, shouting at me about something or other, when he reaches behind the seat, pulls out a black handgun, and waves it around to make some sort of point.”
“And I got a … gun right here if I need it,” Kid Rock allegedly said, according to Peisner. “I got them everywhere!”
Peisner said they went on to discuss American history, including slavery and the killing of Native Americans. When he asked Kid Rock if he is on the wrong side of history, the singer reportedly said, “No. It was the Republicans that freed the (expletive) slaves!”
Peisner said he noted the Republicans were the progressive party at the time.
Kid Rock then claimed Detroit rapper Trick Trick, who is Black, backed Rock’s support of former President Donald Trump and called the rapper a racial slur, Peisner said.
“It’s worth mentioning these are not the only times Ritchie drops the N-word during my visit,” Peisner noted. “It’d be easy to label this as the rantings of a drunk racist, but as with everything that Ritchie does, it’s hard to know how calculated it all is.”
“Is he just trying to get a reaction? Is he begging to be pilloried when this story comes out so he can launch into a very public tirade against ‘cancel culture’? Is this all just a play for more attention?” Peisner added.
The Hill reached out to Kid Rock’s spokesperson for comment.
Kid Rock’s right-wings views have made him increasingly polarizing over the years.
The “All Summer Long” singer made headlines last year after he called for a nationwide boycott of Bud Light due to the company’s brand partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The musician, in a video on social media, shot Bud Light cans while wearing a “MAGA” hat in protest of the partnership.
In 2022, the performer also released a song ripping Anthony Fauci and COVID-19 mitigation policies.