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==Early life==
==Early life==
Asher Roth was born and raised in Greenwich, CT. Asher Roth is on his way to hip hop stardom|publisher=Philadelphia Weekly (newspaper)|date=2009-04-15|url=http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/cover-story/Asher-Roth-42983072.html|accessdate=2009-04-14}}</ref><ref name="forward">{{cite news|last=Sacks|first=Adam|coauthors=|title=Asher Roth Raps Suburbia, Campus Life|pages=|publisher=The Jewish Daily Forward|date=[[2009-04-01]]|url=http://www.forward.com/articles/104454/|accessdate=2009-06-18}}</ref> His mother, Elizabeth (née McConnell), is a [[yoga]] instructor, and his father, David Roth, is the executive director of a design firm.<ref name="timeout">{{cite news|last=DiCrescenzo|first=Brent|coauthors=|title=Asher Roth Q&A|pages=|publisher=Time Out Chicago|date=2009-05-07|url=http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/music/74293/interview-with-asher-roth|accessdate=2009-08-27}}</ref><ref name="ref0924">{{cite news|last=Condrani|first=Ed|coauthors=|title=All rapped up|pages=|publisher=Bucks County Courier Times|date=2009-08-02|url=http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/206/2009/august/02/all-rapped-up.html|accessdate=2009-08-27}}</ref><ref name="nytimesref09">{{cite news|last=Caramanica|first=Jon|coauthors=|title=To Be Young, Rapping and White|pages=|publisher=The New York Times|date=2009-04-15|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/arts/music/19cara.html|accessdate=2009-08-27}}</ref><ref name="hhlive">{{cite news|last=St. James|first=|coauthors=|title=The HHNLive.com Interview: Asher Roth|pages=|publisher=HHNLive.com|date=[[2008-06-02]]|url=http://hhnlive.com/features/more/455|accessdate=2009-06-19}}</ref> He attended [[Pennsbury High School]]. Growing up, Roth was exposed to little [[hip-hop]] in his family, with his parents preferring "[[The Temptations]], [[Earth, Wind & Fire]] ... [[Bruce Springsteen]] and [[Dire Straits]]."<ref name=XXL>{{cite web|title=Feature Highlights '08: Asher Roth:So Far, So Good|publisher=XXL (magazine)|date=2008-12-30|url=http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=23318|accessdate=2009-03-05}}</ref> According to Roth:
Asher Roth is on his way to hip hop stardom|publisher=Philadelphia Weekly (newspaper)|date=2009-04-15|url=http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/cover-story/Asher-Roth-42983072.html|accessdate=2009-04-14}}</ref><ref name="forward">{{cite news|last=Sacks|first=Adam|coauthors=|title=Asher Roth Raps Suburbia, Campus Life|pages=|publisher=The Jewish Daily Forward|date=[[2009-04-01]]|url=http://www.forward.com/articles/104454/|accessdate=2009-06-18}}</ref> His mother, Elizabeth (née McConnell), is a [[yoga]] instructor, and his father, David Roth, is the executive director of a design firm.<ref name="timeout">{{cite news|last=DiCrescenzo|first=Brent|coauthors=|title=Asher Roth Q&A|pages=|publisher=Time Out Chicago|date=2009-05-07|url=http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/music/74293/interview-with-asher-roth|accessdate=2009-08-27}}</ref><ref name="ref0924">{{cite news|last=Condrani|first=Ed|coauthors=|title=All rapped up|pages=|publisher=Bucks County Courier Times|date=2009-08-02|url=http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/206/2009/august/02/all-rapped-up.html|accessdate=2009-08-27}}</ref><ref name="nytimesref09">{{cite news|last=Caramanica|first=Jon|coauthors=|title=To Be Young, Rapping and White|pages=|publisher=The New York Times|date=2009-04-15|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/arts/music/19cara.html|accessdate=2009-08-27}}</ref><ref name="hhlive">{{cite news|last=St. James|first=|coauthors=|title=The HHNLive.com Interview: Asher Roth|pages=|publisher=HHNLive.com|date=[[2008-06-02]]|url=http://hhnlive.com/features/more/455|accessdate=2009-06-19}}</ref> He attended [[Pennsbury High School]]. Growing up, Roth was exposed to little [[hip-hop]] in his family, with his parents preferring "[[The Temptations]], [[Earth, Wind & Fire]] ... [[Bruce Springsteen]] and [[Dire Straits]]."<ref name=XXL>{{cite web|title=Feature Highlights '08: Asher Roth:So Far, So Good|publisher=XXL (magazine)|date=2008-12-30|url=http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=23318|accessdate=2009-03-05}}</ref> According to Roth:
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
The first CD I ever bought was [[Dave Matthews Band]]'s '[[Crash (Dave Matthews Band album)|Crash]]'...That is how suburban I am...I finally got into hip hop in '98 when I heard the [[Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)|Annie sample]] with [[Jay-Z]]....When I wrote my '[[A Milli]]' [[freestyle (music)|freestyle]], that was me listening to 10 years of hip hop and not relating to it at all. Like, Damn I don’t sell [[cocaine|coke]]. Damn, I don’t have cars or 25-inch [[Rim (wheel)|rims]]. I don't have guns. I finally got to a point where I had the confidence to do this thing myself, and I was making music for me. And it turns out, a lot of people feel the same way I do.<ref name=Vibe>{{cite web|last=Fennessey|first=Sean|title=Asher Roth|publisher=Vibe (magazine)|date=2008-10-30|url=http://www.vibe.com/music/next/2008/10/asher_roth/|accessdate=2009-03-05}}</ref>
The first CD I ever bought was [[Dave Matthews Band]]'s '[[Crash (Dave Matthews Band album)|Crash]]'...That is how suburban I am...I finally got into hip hop in '98 when I heard the [[Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)|Annie sample]] with [[Jay-Z]]....When I wrote my '[[A Milli]]' [[freestyle (music)|freestyle]], that was me listening to 10 years of hip hop and not relating to it at all. Like, Damn I don’t sell [[cocaine|coke]]. Damn, I don’t have cars or 25-inch [[Rim (wheel)|rims]]. I don't have guns. I finally got to a point where I had the confidence to do this thing myself, and I was making music for me. And it turns out, a lot of people feel the same way I do.<ref name=Vibe>{{cite web|last=Fennessey|first=Sean|title=Asher Roth|publisher=Vibe (magazine)|date=2008-10-30|url=http://www.vibe.com/music/next/2008/10/asher_roth/|accessdate=2009-03-05}}</ref>

Revision as of 02:14, 12 November 2009

Asher Roth

Asher Paul Roth (born August 11, 1985) is an American rapper. He was signed to a joint venture between Scooter Braun's Schoolboy Music and Steve Rifkind’s SRC Records. His first professional release was on June 13, 2008 when the DJ Drama and Don Cannon-helmed The GreenHouse Effect Mixtape was released for free via Roth’s website Thedailykush.com. Roth was featured on the cover of XXL magazine’s annual Top 10 Freshmen: Hip-Hop’s Class ’09 issue. Roth's debut album, Asleep in the Bread Aisle, was released on April 20, 2009.

Early life

Asher Roth is on his way to hip hop stardom|publisher=Philadelphia Weekly (newspaper)|date=2009-04-15|url=http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/cover-story/Asher-Roth-42983072.html%7Caccessdate=2009-04-14}}</ref>[1] His mother, Elizabeth (née McConnell), is a yoga instructor, and his father, David Roth, is the executive director of a design firm.[2][3][4][5] He attended Pennsbury High School. Growing up, Roth was exposed to little hip-hop in his family, with his parents preferring "The Temptations, Earth, Wind & Fire ... Bruce Springsteen and Dire Straits."[6] According to Roth:

The first CD I ever bought was Dave Matthews Band's 'Crash'...That is how suburban I am...I finally got into hip hop in '98 when I heard the Annie sample with Jay-Z....When I wrote my 'A Milli' freestyle, that was me listening to 10 years of hip hop and not relating to it at all. Like, Damn I don’t sell coke. Damn, I don’t have cars or 25-inch rims. I don't have guns. I finally got to a point where I had the confidence to do this thing myself, and I was making music for me. And it turns out, a lot of people feel the same way I do.[7]

Asher has also stated that:

"I was always from the outside looking in," says Roth. "Hip-hop has always been very influential in the ‘burbs, [but] it’s just a matter of where we could relate to it. You find a lot of kids that are really confused. You look at them and they’re dressed out of character. They don’t look right. I figured out, I don’t have to dress this way, but I can still love hip-hop."[8]

Upon graduation, Roth entered West Chester University and became an Elementary Education major, while continuing to record verses over other peoples’ beats. During sophomore year, Roth posted some of his verses on his MySpace page and sent a Friend Request to Scooter Braun, an Atlanta-based promoter and former VP of Marketing for Jermaine Dupri's So So Def. One week after speaking to Braun, Roth flew down to Atlanta and was immediately signed by Braun, who subsequently became his manager.[6]

Asleep in the Bread Aisle and Eminem Comparison Problem, 2009

Sometime in mid 2008, Roth announced he would be making a full studio album and it would be released sometime in early 2009. He started recording in late 2008, and continued into 2009. The first single released was titled, "I Love College", which received many hits across North America. His second single was titled, "Lark on my Go-Kart". After the 2 singles were released, Roth's studio album, Asleep in the Bread Aisle, was released on April 20, 2009.

The album contains a song titled, "As I Em", which was made to confront the problem between him and fellow rapper, Eminem. It was not a diss, but it was to tell people to stop asking why he has a similar voice inflection to Eminem. Eminem later heard this song, and co-signed Asher Roth.

Career

After linking up with Braun, Roth moved to Atlanta to pursue a hip-hop career full-time. As industry buzz grew, Roth was courted by a number of labels, including SRC, Def Jam, Warner Bros. Records and Atlantic.[9] Roth would eventually sign a joint venture between Braun's Schoolboy Music and Steve Rifkind, chairman of SRC/Universal Records. On June 13, 2008, Roth put out his first professional release, the Don Cannon and DJ Drama-helmed The Greenhouse Effect, via the Internet. This resulted in Roth being the second white rapper to be featured on Drama and Cannon’s influential Gangsta Grillz series. He released his first studio album, titled Asleep in the Bread Aisle, on 20 April, 2009. Asher Roth joined Blink-182 in the second half of their reunion tour in September 2009.

Style

Roth's lyrics characteristically center around what have been called "middle-class minutiae, some also consider them to be a joke."[7] Roth's song "I Love College" is about partying with alcohol and marijuana, but includes fatuous lyrics such as "I can get pizza a dollar a slice"[7] that have been identified as "far from threatening". Many wonder if Roth's lyrics are satire because of the seemingly clueless sense in which he celebrates this type of college life.[7]

As he gained prominence being a white performer in a predominantly black musical genre, Roth has earned many comparisons to Eminem, so much so that he devoted a track on his album to the famed rapper, entitled "As I Em."[10] About the comparison, Roth told Complex magazine:

"Him and I are different artists. I think the music’s going to portray that as time goes on. The comparisons are just…it’s cool to be compared to Em, but he’s one of the number one selling artists of all time. I’d rather be compared to him than pretty much anybody else. I think content and everything we rap about is completely different. We’re different artists. We just happened to be under the same genre".[11]

When asked about the comparison by Hiphopdx.com, Roth said, "I think it's too easy. 'A white MC with a sense of humor and a political side? Oh, let’s compare him to Em!' ... I have nothing but respect for him though; he made it possible for me to be here, he opened the doors, but we come from an entirely different inspiration."[12] In his song entitled "As I Em" produced by Don Cannon he raps "That Eminem comparison is barely accurate/My rapping is as passionate, but lacks the psychopath of it".[9]

In an interview with XXL Magazine, Eminem cosigned Asher. He had this to say when asked about the comparison:

"I haven't had a chance to, like, really get into everything, like, really get into what he's about, because I've only heard a couple songs. There was talk about people saying he sounded like me, and he was doing this and that and, you know, trying to take what I do and do it. You know, shit like that. I've heard things. But the stuff that I've heard from him honestly, which certainly isn't enough for me to make my own opinion and say, ‘Yeah, he does sound like me' or ‘No, he doesn't. But the couple of songs I've heard, I don't really think he does. You know what I mean? He's doing his own thing. I can respect it, too, because at the end of the day, I think he's dope".

[13]

Discography

Studio albums

Year Title Chart positions
U.S. 200 U.S. R&B U.S. Rap CAN UK
2009 Asleep In the Bread Aisle 5 5 3 31 38

Mixtapes

Singles

Year Song Chart positions Album
U.S. Hot 100 U.S. R&B U.S. Rap US Pop South Africa UK UK R&B CAN
2009 "I Love College" 12 116 18 19 34 26 8 53 Asleep in the Bread Aisle
"Lark on My Go-Kart" 1 95 — — — — — — —
"Be by Myself" (ft. Cee-Lo) 107 — — — — — — —
"She Don't Wanna Man" (ft. Keri Hilson) — — — — — — — —
"As I Em" (ft. Chester French) [15] — — — — — — — —
  • 1 - Promo Single

Awards

References

  1. ^ Sacks, Adam (2009-04-01). "Asher Roth Raps Suburbia, Campus Life". The Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved 2009-06-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ DiCrescenzo, Brent (2009-05-07). "Asher Roth Q&A". Time Out Chicago. Retrieved 2009-08-27. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ Condrani, Ed (2009-08-02). "All rapped up". Bucks County Courier Times. Retrieved 2009-08-27. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ Caramanica, Jon (2009-04-15). "To Be Young, Rapping and White". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-27. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ St. James (2008-06-02). "The HHNLive.com Interview: Asher Roth". HHNLive.com. Retrieved 2009-06-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ a b "Feature Highlights '08: Asher Roth:So Far, So Good". XXL (magazine). 2008-12-30. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  7. ^ a b c d Fennessey, Sean (2008-10-30). "Asher Roth". Vibe (magazine). Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  8. ^ Michael, Jon (2008-06-18). "Asher Roth - Not Your Average". Sixshot.com. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  9. ^ a b Blanco, Alvin (2008-07-10). "Asher Roth: School's Out". AllHipHop. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Philadelphia Weekly was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ La Puma, Joe (2008-07-28). "Asher Roth: 'Rap Is In The Suburbs Now'". Complex (magazine). Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  12. ^ Thornton, Alex (2008-09-16). "Asher Roth: Moment Of Clarity". HipHopDX.com. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  13. ^ Eminem Thinks Asher Roth Is Dope retrieved on 09-07-08
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Billboard was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=16770


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