Robert James Ritchie Jr Faced Family Difficulties at an Early Age - Facts about Kid Rock's Only Son

Robert James Ritchie Jr. grew up mainly under his father's care. Though Kid Rock had full custody from the beginning, Robert James became the subject of a vicious and lengthy custody battle just a few years shy of his tenth birthday.

Robert James Ritchie Jr. was born to Robert Ritchie, best known as the ever-partying rock star Kid Rock. Though his father led an illustrious lifestyle with several partners and rarely left the party scene, Robert James developed a completely different personality.

He took an interest in music at a young age; however, what grew into a musical passion coincided with early fatherhood. He wholeheartedly took the responsibility of raising his child and shared it with his high school sweetheart, who later became his wife.

Robert James also graduated from college, an achievement his dad was proud of, and although he worked a regular job, he also became an entrepreneur. He's still part of the music scene, as he collaborated on a song with Kid Rock last year in April.

The pair may not have much in common, but they both admittedly entered fatherhood unprepared. Robert James was six months old when he was left on his dad's doorstep, who was still trying to make it as a rockstar.

Robert James Ritchie Jr Was the Object of a Custody Battle

Robert James took his first breath on June 14, 1993. After Kid Rock found him on his doorstep, the artist filed a paternity suit which proved he was Robert James's biological father in 1994. The following year, he received full and permanent custody over the youngster.

Robert James's mother, Kelley South Russell, was a Ford Motor Co. autoworker who struggled with alcohol addiction and had a violent temper, per the 1995 custody case investigations. In 2000, she claimed that Kid Rock had refused to let their son spend his summer vacation with her, which landed them back in court.

Kid Rock – who later married and divorced Pamela Anderson, also now a mother of two – argued that Kelley hadn't alerted him 30 days beforehand, as stipulated in their initial custody agreement, that she wanted to spend time with their son.

Moreover, when she asked, Robert James had already enrolled in a summer day camp. The battle continued for ten months before they finally reached an agreement where Kelley was ordered to pay $25 in child support and provide for Robert James's health insurance.

Robert James Is a Man of Many Talents

Based in the Nashville Metropolitan Area, Robert James works full-time as a Senior Business Manager for Lost Highway Touring. He graduated from Belmont University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Music with a minor in Marketing.

Robert James is also the co-founder and partner of Sky Ventures LLC and the CEO of the e-commerce apparel brand Skull Feather LLC. According to his Instagram bio and OpenSea profile, he is also an NFT collector and invests in Crypto.

Regarding his musical career, he released his first single, "Exstacy," along with the music video from his debut album in 2018. In April last year, he shared the mic with his dad in a song titled "The Shakedown." The pair also starred in the music video together.

Robert Is a Family Man

He was 21 years old when he expected his first child, a daughter named Skye, with his now-wife, Marisa, whom he married in October 2021. The couple welcomed their second baby, a son named Ryder James, last year on September 6.

In 2019, when they were still engaged, Robert James gushed about his wife, who had lost her mother while she carried Skye. As he praised her for being a "super mom," he also revealed that she had studied to be an esthetician after being a stay-at-home mom for four years.

Robert James Is the Greatest Inspiration for His Father

Despite their polar-opposite personalities, with Robert James being more of a homebody and family man, Kid Rock is on good terms with his son. Though fatherhood came unexpectedly and wasn't in his initial plan, it came at just the right time, as he explained:

"My greatest inspiration... My son, in every way. He inspires me to get up in the morning, and in some regards he has made me more careful. Children can balance you out sometimes, which is something I was seriously in need of."

Still, Kid Rock felt he could have set a better example for Robert James. He became a grandfather at only 43 years old, and although that age was considered young, he seemed to look forward to being a great-great-great-grandfather several decades later.