Spring Break
Asher Roth
Suburban Philly MC's Bid for big time
Alex Benson
Issue date: 11/12/08 Section: Diversions
Hailing from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Asher Roth is a newcomer to the hip hop scene. Roth is what every white suburban hip hop fan strives to be: a gifted lyricist who doesn't rhyme about subjects beyond his own experience, a rapper who doesn't take himself seriously and a soon-to-be player in the big time hip hop game.
Roth owes most - if not all - of his current hip hop success to the social networking Web sites MySpace and Facebook, where Steve Rifkin, the head of SRC Records, discovered him. After a meeting between the two, Rifkin had Roth rap-battle people in the building. Refusing to let the talented MC loose, Rifkin signed Roth on the spot. Signing up-and-coming Atlanta heavy-hitter Scott Braun as an agent, Roth is well on his way. With the little time he has had on the hip hop scene, Roth has made a name for himself, landing interviews in the magazines Vibe and URB. Perhaps the biggest achievement for the college-aged rapper is being featured on the popular magazine XXL's November cover.
With no studio albums out yet, Roth recently worked and prepped his first mixtape with fellow Philadelphians (and mixtape legends) DJ Drama and Don Cannon. The result was The Greenhouse Effect, Roth's first official music release of any sort. Laying down verses over some of hip hop's most noticeable beats, Roth uses his sense of humor and creative rhyming style to mark his territory in the new age of hip hop's rising stars.
College humor shines bright on the track "Cartoon Chick," where Roth rhymes about which animated female he would like to bring home after a date. "Right off of the bat I would have Jessica Rabbit / She's the baddest / I love them tatties / Yeah that chest press / In that red dress /And I am obsessed yes / With red heads." Roth's lyrical abilities shine through in the rest of the song as he continues to rhyme about nearly every famous cartoon lady. While humor is the main ability Roth showcases on this track, he also demonstrates creativity and cohesiveness.
Roth owes most - if not all - of his current hip hop success to the social networking Web sites MySpace and Facebook, where Steve Rifkin, the head of SRC Records, discovered him. After a meeting between the two, Rifkin had Roth rap-battle people in the building. Refusing to let the talented MC loose, Rifkin signed Roth on the spot. Signing up-and-coming Atlanta heavy-hitter Scott Braun as an agent, Roth is well on his way. With the little time he has had on the hip hop scene, Roth has made a name for himself, landing interviews in the magazines Vibe and URB. Perhaps the biggest achievement for the college-aged rapper is being featured on the popular magazine XXL's November cover.
With no studio albums out yet, Roth recently worked and prepped his first mixtape with fellow Philadelphians (and mixtape legends) DJ Drama and Don Cannon. The result was The Greenhouse Effect, Roth's first official music release of any sort. Laying down verses over some of hip hop's most noticeable beats, Roth uses his sense of humor and creative rhyming style to mark his territory in the new age of hip hop's rising stars.
College humor shines bright on the track "Cartoon Chick," where Roth rhymes about which animated female he would like to bring home after a date. "Right off of the bat I would have Jessica Rabbit / She's the baddest / I love them tatties / Yeah that chest press / In that red dress /And I am obsessed yes / With red heads." Roth's lyrical abilities shine through in the rest of the song as he continues to rhyme about nearly every famous cartoon lady. While humor is the main ability Roth showcases on this track, he also demonstrates creativity and cohesiveness.
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Charlie Smarts
posted 11/26/08 @ 9:45 AM CST
Asher does his thing... Cant knock his hustle.
Im at work and listened to his whole mixtape on his site.
These dudes are on the come up as well:
http://myspace. (Continued…)
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