Asher Roth Will Never Be A Rap Star
My handlers are out of touch.
Before I say anything, let me give props to Mr. Roth for having skills and actually rapping about something. I respect his craft. There’s a lot of buzz about Asher lately, and it’s much deserved.
Specifically there’s the DJ Drama /Don Cannon hosted mix tape called The Greenhouse Effect.. From what I hear (and what I’ve heard), he comes quite correct. You can download it at his official Ning community.
Red cups are gangsta
Here’s the problem: He’s not going to sell too many copies if he keeps up with his bullshit marketing campaign. Let me break it down…
1. He sounds like Eminem in 1999. If you’re trying to be the next respectable white emcee, don’t sound like the King. You can’t debut with a bootleg Slim Shady delivery, no matter how ill you are.
2. He’s too normal. Seriously, this dudes life story could put me to sleep while swimming in a cold pool of Red Bull [SEE!]. Rap fans often buy CDs to escape their own reality. Why would I want to listen to a dude rap about beer pong, anyway? I want to shoot guns and have unprotected sex with bust it babies.
3. The economy is in a decline. Fewer people are going to college. Why is being marketed as Mr. College? Nothing like being an elitist — you jerk!
Check for reasons #4 and #5 coming tomorrow.
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1. Although reminiscent of eminems voice, it just sounds like his voice, cuz his swag, delivery, and content are nothing like your king’s…by the way, sounds like your sucking em’s dick, way hard, cuz homeboy definitely does not deserve a “king” title. Listen to more music, (closely). How do you feel about a dude like Shine?
2. Normal? Probably everybody you listen to is just as normal. Even some dude that has been shot seven times is probably normal, he’s just been shot seven times. Fuck a story. Why would you listen to someone talking about fucking, money, or shooting at some dude, when they probably have never even picked up a paintball gun before. Open your mind. I can actually affor to play beer pong, and would rather play the game with some females instead of fronting in some rented escalade that I can’t even afford to fill up that gas tank (as well as the millions of “rap fans” you talk about in #3.
3. “Rap fans” don’t really buy CDs anymore as is, if you haven’t been paying attention to the music world. You should know you probably see all the leaked album downloads on half of these blog sites. For a dude like this to drop out of nowhere a month ago and you and your momma know who he is, I would say they are marketing him pretty well. Especially to have the buzz he has, as far as i’m concerned he is the superman of rap, cuz where the fuck did he come from.
4. Have you been to college? Cuz even though attendance is lower because of the thousands of kids that are not being accepted. There is still a huge market there for break through artists. What about Kanye, didn’t he go back to college? And Graduate? (Didn’t his last two albums have sorta the same marketing…college themes?, I sure remember walking around campus when late registration came out with people passing out posters and folders)….
5. I’m not saying you need to like the dude, or that he is the freshest, I just think your points on why he won’t succeed are pretty fuckin’ stupid. I think you should do your homework and get back on the internet and pay close attention to whats going on in the world of music.
1. Listen to more music? I am a DJ for a hip-hop show on 91.1 FM WDUB every Saturday night. I’ve been doing that for the past two years. WDUB is one of the 20 most popular college radio stations in the country (just saying).
2. Eminem isn’t the king of white rappers? Who is?
3. I like shYne (you spelled it wrong, rap genius) but again he never sold to his full potential because he sounded just like Biggie..and he got fucked.
4. I was being sarcastic about wanting to hear about guns and hoes. What I was saying is it doesn’t seem this guy has been through any hardships (i.e. the kind I’d be interested to hear about). Look at the biggest rap stars of today (Kanye, 50, Wayne…) — you know their stories.
5. My mom has no idea who Asher Roth is. He’s not that popular. I’m probably the most press he’s gotten in the last 3-4 days
6. He does have a big buzz. What I was saying is it will stay that … A BUZZ. By marketing him as this college frat boy he’s not going to have longevity. The label people are trying to capitalize on him and make a quick buck. They should let him continue to develop his already impressive talent and come out when he’s more experienced. He just had his first concert! What ever happened to paying dues?
7. I’m a junior in college. Refer to my point about being a DJ
Good point about Kanye but again — using Kanye Wests marketing campaign isn’t going to get Asher a career. He needs to slow up, pay some dues, and come back ready to smash the game. If you read the whole post, I give him props. It’s just I know that if he waited two more years he would be a whole lot more effective.
Asher Roth is similar to Mickey Avalon, they are niche rappers with limited marketability, and appeal. At best, he will be a novelty, a white humpty-hump of the 21st century. Rap music, for many white suburban kids, hip-hop is half escape, half action movie. Most people who purchased Ready to Die never sold crack, spent time in jail, but still could relate with the former King of New York because at some point in time they felt like their life was “played out like a jeri curl.” Rap for suburban kids is a fantasy land that rarely speaks of consequences, and they are able to relate with it on a somewhat microscopic level. Wether it’s feeling “ready to die” or hustling dime bags out of your dorm room your freshman year of college. Asher doesn’t have that same action/escape effect. He is right there with us. I take him about as seriously as the Smirnoff Iced Tea Preppy Rappers.
I will give respect where respect is due: His Milli cover was hot, well thought out and and interesting. It was a creative restructuring and response to the original Lil Wayne Track. However, his flow is so similar to Eminem, specifically his word play (and word bending), cadence and flow that he will surely be eaten alive by the white king of hip hop when and if Eminem catches wind of this suburban rapper. Also, dissing Lil Wayne, one of the most creative and powerful MCs today, on his own track is sure to receive a harsh response from Wayne. Wayne, although not as political or topical, is exponentially more creative. Does Roth truly believe he can out rap Wayne? I have a feeling Weezy F. Baby will explode on Asher’s face like a gusher over and over again (lyrically speaking) before Roth will even get back to the studio. I look forward to hearing what Wayne and Eminem have in store for Asher, a white kid from the burbs who enjoys beer pong and lacks the desperation and hardship in his life that gives contemporary artists that extra emotional boost pushing them to the next level.
Asher Roth — meet JHScherk
Amen. You said it. hating aside, his whole style is Marshall’s.
Come on now, you have to be kidding me. Asher Roth is talented and he is a breath of fresh air. I have gotten so tired of all of this bling rap and talking about money.
Why do you think Em is so successful? Remember his skit on the Marshall Mathers LP? “Your rapping about homosexuals and vicoden!” Same for Kanye when he first came out, but his head has gotten way too big for my taste. But people enjoy something different!
Think of all of the greatest ever. They went out on a limb. Tupac and Biggie, N.W.A., Wu Tang, and hell you can even throw in The Beastie Boys. Music shouldn’t be defined as an escape, it’s entertainment and we all like different shit, learn to respect that. A Millie remake was great. I personally can’t stand Lil Wayne! It’s all BS to me. He personally took me away from Hip Hop until I finally ran across Asher and then one of my Method Man and Eminem cds.
^ I don’t like Weezy anymore, either.
My problem with Asher has nothing to do with talent, it’s the marketing of his ‘product’
If he’s going to stick around, the ‘college bro’ image has got to go. Shit’s real in the field!
ps. My #1 goon Matt A says Asher’s preachin on his A Millie remix
how can you even like that song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp50arOSlAY&feature=related) when he starts it off by saying if your a millionaire your a bad person because kids in china cant afford shoes. He thinks since he is “good” at rapping; he should start preaching about politics and society. his lyrics are even that interesting. asher roth is mediocre at best
So true! So true! Right now I’m bending over my hot girlfriend! PEACE!
^ Thanks for sharing, Todd! lol
http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=26893
^
Are you kidding me?!?
Asher Roth is a flash in the pan, I dont see this dude doin anything big in hip-hop, his flow resembles eminems but it isnt even on the same level when it comes to creativity.
In my opinion hes not a breath of fresh air, hes boring and corny
He had one track i liked with B.O.B. and Charles Hamilton called “long time coming” which is hot
First off i think its cool that hip hop and the industry is letting a regular white guy from the suburbs in and is giving him a shot.
my prob with Asher is that he seems like he almost has NO struggle whats so ever. He was a lazy student apparently who could afford to just goof off in life and school. HE has no real brush with urban culture or hip hop in general before trying to pull this campaign off. AND THE WORST OF ALL – he sounds just like Em. u just cant come out with the same flow as the other most notable white rapper of your time. Its not original. if a black emcee sounded like another big name he’d be called a biter up front. I think sadly enough, the industry is trying to market to college kids but isnt really interested in pushing something different. The kid has a flow n delivery that has worked in the past thats why they brought him on so easily. And neone that doesnt have the luxury of sitting in a college frat or dorm all day goofing off i dont think will really like his single. Just my opinion
p.s. there is a guy i actually work with who has a decent parody of Ashers College song on his myspace page. Getting some buzz…just something to check out
myspace . com / iLLusciato
you are AN IDIOT. asher roth WILL BE BIG. and i will be back to this website to laugh in your face. oh and what is his single, like #12 on itunes or something? him and kid cudi are going to be ridiculously huge. and by the way, i think it is cool he is from the burbs because most of the burbs now (or atleast where i live) listen to rap anyway and so we can relate to what he is saying. get off his case man
dude. asher roth won’t be big man. he just has a quick buzz goin on but he cant keep doing more songs about college and stuff. it gets old and boring quick. im sure you’re just happy you finally have a somewhat famous rapper you can relate to being from the “burbs” and all. asher dropped out of college anyways and now rapping about wanting to stay there forever. pretty lame. go get shot at trying to sell drugs and then start rapping. yeah im from the subarbs too but at least i could rap about crazy stuff thats true and not beer pong and freshmen
I will eat Asher Roth alive. He doesn’t know shit about the burbs. I’m the King of the burbs, baby.
I love Asher, but i think he is being marketed horribly.
It seems to me that the guy in the greenhouse effect isnt the same guy who wrote “i love college”. i think i love college was kind of his stepping stone into main stream through mtv & their whole “college life” show.
Once the whole shock of another white rapper dies down, i think hes here to stay. “the lounge” blew my mind when i first heard it. gold.
If you think hes the same as eminem, listen to the cannon & the lounge off the greenhouse effect. definitely different from anything eminem has put out.
I appreciate your comment, Angela. You make some great points.