Rebel with a cause (Updated May 15, 2013)

Kid Rock released the album "Rebel Soul" in the fall of 2012, with the cut "Let's Ride" as its lead single. And ride he did, but not just in a quick run to the top of the charts.

Rock has always been the kind of guy to blaze his own path, and the reason he was making headlines headed into 2013 had very little to do with the commercial appeal of his albums. Instead, he was riding a pact with promoters and management to not only lower the fees for his concert tickets to $5, but drop the prices of the tickets themselves to just $20.

The pact was made. And the result? After fighting tooth and nail and using his power to exact change, Rock had Live Nation kiosks set up in Wal-Mart stores across America. For just $20, fans could buy a ticket, including parking, with no fee. And since the deal was brokered, ticket sales have doubled or tripled from 2011 (In short, exceeding everyone's expectations).

So what is Rock up to now? As a man of his word, he's playing seven straight $20 shows in Detroit. The three-band bill also includes Uncle Kracker and ZZ Top, and the venue will offer cheaper beer and free coffee once the nightly gigs are over. If that's not a sweet deal, we don't know what is.

About Kid Rock

American singer-songwriter and rapper Kid Rock exploded onto the scene with his "Devil Without a Cause" album in 1998. Born and raised in the Detroit metro area, the bad-boy rocker is popular for songs like "Cowboy," "Only God Knows Why," "Bawitdaba," and "All Summer Long" which charted #1 in eight different countries across Europe and Australia.

Born Bob Ritchie, the man who would come to be known as Kid Rock immersed himself in rap music as a youngster. He learned to breakdance, performed in talent shows and recorded his first set of demos by 1988. It led to a contract with Jive Records and a debut album, "Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast," but Kid Rock was dropped from the Jive roster after the album failed to take off.

It wasn't until rap-metal artists like Korn and Limp Bizkit began to dominate the radio waves that Kid Rock got a real second chance to make a first impression. Signed by Atlantic Records, a big campaign to push "Bawitdaba" made the single a smash hit. The follow-up, "Cowboy," made Kid Rock a global phenomenon, and the country-tinged "Picture" with Sheryl Crow in 2001 introduced his music to a whole new audience.

Used to making headlines for his personal life as much as his music, Kid Rock had a five-month marriage to actress Pamela Anderson, numerous run-ins with the law, and once filed a lawsuit in a California court to stop the release of a purported sex tape. Still, he appeared on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight in 2011 and said he has no regrets about anything he has done in the past.

In May 2012, Kid Rock became the first of a handful of high-profile musicians to endorse Mitt Romney's GOP campaign for President of the United States. He performed at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida and is expected to release his 10th studio album in November.