Nugent reportedly wrote Kiss My Rebel A** a day after Kid Rock invited anyone protesting his use of the flag at his concerts to "kiss my a**" after he was asked to retire the defeated Confederate army ensign he proudly uses at concerts.

The call came following a recent South Carolina church massacre and gunman Dylann Root's use of the flag as an outdated symbol of race hatred. But Kid Rock is standing by his ensign, insisting it's a symbol of Southern values.

And when fellow Michigan rocker Nugent contacted him via text, he jumped at the chance to defend the Southern cross further.

He tells WWJ Newsradio 950, "When you get a text from the Nuge, you know you've done something right."

Nugent adds, "Rock 'n' roll ain't supposed to be nice; it's supposed to hit you upside the head with a tyre iron, and that is exactly what this song does (sic)."

The veteran rocker weighed in on the debate about the use of the flag during a recent appearance on the World Positive Thinkers podcast, and said, "I believe that we always have to look at substance over symbolism, and I think we have to be honest. If we burned every Confederate flag today, would they stop shooting each other in Chicago? If we burned every Confederate flag today, would we stop sanctuary cities from accommodating murderers and rapists and savage people?"

Kiss My Rebel A** will be available as a free download from both Nugent and Kid Rock's websites on 17 July (15).