Asher Roth
Encyclopedia
Asher Paul Roth is an American rapper
.
, Pennsylvania
, a small town about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia. His mother, Elizabeth (née McConnell), is a yoga
instructor, and his father, David Roth, is the executive director of a design firm. His mother has Scottish ancestry and his paternal grandfather was Jewish. Roth does not consider himself Jewish, although his name often leads people to believe he is. 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
." According to Roth:
Asher has also stated that:
After graduating high school, Roth entered West Chester University
and became an Elementary Education major, while continuing to record verses over other people's 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.
Asher Roth cites Jay-Z
and Eminem
among his influences in hip hop, mostly by Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life
".
Roth's lyrics characteristically center around what have been called "middle-class minutiae, some also consider them to be a joke." Roth's song "I Love College" is about partying but includes fatuous lyrics such as "I can get pizza a dollar a slice" that have been identified as "far from threatening".
, Def Jam, Warner Bros. Records
and Atlantic. 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 mixtape, via the Internet. This resulted in Roth being the second white rapper to be featured on Drama and Cannon’s Gangsta Grillz series.
" which received many hits across North America. His second single was "Lark on my Go-Kart
". After the two singles were released, Roth's studio album Asleep in the Bread Aisle
was released on April 20, 2009. He supported his album with a nationwide tour with B.o.B.
and Kid Cudi
. Asher also joined Blink-182
in the second half of their reunion tour in the fall of 2009.
Roth was featured on the cover of XXL
magazine’s annual Top 10 Freshmen: Hip-Hop’s Class ’09 issue.
and Nottz Raw. While working with Nottz, the two of them decided to collaborate on a project together, due to having a number of records rejected by the label due to sampling & copyright issues. The end result was an eight track EP
, solely produced by Nottz, entitled The Rawth EP. The EP, which features appearances from Colin Munroe
, D.A. (of Chester French
), Rhymefest
and Kardinal Offishall
, was released December 27, 2010. Roth released and promoted "G.R.I.N.D (Get Ready It's a New Day)", the first single off of his upcoming second album, by traveling to different radio stations around the country. Roth revealed four tracks on his upcoming album in a XXL
article. One features Game, one is produced by Swizz Beatz
and another is titled "Run it Back". On May 25, it was announced that Roth's second studio album would no longer be called The Spaghetti Tree. His song with Akon
titled "Last Man Standing" is featured on the soundtrack for the videogame Madden NFL 12
. In an interview with Rikki Martinez of Power 106 he announced he will be releasing a mixtape titled Pabst & Jazz and revealed the title of his upcoming second album, Is This Too Orange?. On November 11th, 2011 he released the first offering off Pabst & Jazz, a song titled "Common Knowledge". In November 2011, Roth signed to Def Jam Recordings
after several years been signed to SRC Records
.
. As stated in an interview conducted and filmed by DJ Vlad
, Roth stated his views about the legalization of marijuana and the use of cigarettes:
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
.
Early life
Asher Roth was born and raised in MorrisvilleMorrisville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Morrisville is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,728 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Morrisville is located at . It is situated on the Delaware River directly across from Trenton, New Jersey...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, a small town about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia. His mother, Elizabeth (née McConnell), is a yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
instructor, and his father, David Roth, is the executive director of a design firm. His mother has Scottish ancestry and his paternal grandfather was Jewish. Roth does not consider himself Jewish, although his name often leads people to believe he is. He attended Pennsbury High School
Pennsbury High School
Pennsbury High School is a public high school located in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, in the United States.With 3,591 students enrolled for the 2009-2010 school year, Pennsbury High School is the largest high school in Bucks County, and the teneth largest high school in the state of Pennsylvania...
. Growing up, Roth was exposed to little hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
in his family, with his parents preferring "The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...
... Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
and Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
." According to Roth:
The first CD I ever bought was Dave Matthews BandDave Matthews BandDave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
's CrashCrash (Dave Matthews Band album)Crash is the second studio album by Dave Matthews Band, released on April 30, 1996. It includes the band's most successful single, "Crash into Me".The album has been certified 7× platinum.-Track listing:All songs by David J...
...That is how suburban I am...I finally got into hip hop in '98 when I heard the Annie sampleHard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)"Hard Knock Life " is a single from rapper Jay-Z's third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. It samples the song "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the Broadway musical Annie. The song was produced by The 45 King and at the time of its release, was the most commercially successful Jay-Z single. The RIAA...
with Jay-ZJay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
....When I wrote my 'A MilliA Milli"A Milli", abbreviated occasionally as "Milli", is the second official single, and the official street single from Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III.-Background:...
' freestyle, that was me listening to 10 years of hip hop and not relating to it at all. Like, Damn I don’t sell cokeCocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. Damn, I don’t have cars or 25-inch rimsRim (wheel)The rim of a wheel is the outer circular design of the metal on which the inside edge of the tire is mounted on vehicles such as automobiles. For example, on a bicycle wheel the rim is a large hoop attached to the outer ends of the spokes of the wheel that holds the tire and tube.In the 1st...
. 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.
Asher has also stated that:
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.
After graduating high school, Roth entered West Chester University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a public university located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, about miles west of Philadelphia. It is one of the 14 state universities of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education . West Chester was ranked 69th in the Master's Universities ...
and became an Elementary Education major, while continuing to record verses over other people's beats. During sophomore year, Roth posted some of his verses on his MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page and sent a Friend Request to Scooter Braun, an Atlanta-based promoter and former VP of Marketing for Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
'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.
Asher Roth cites Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
and Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
among his influences in hip hop, mostly by Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life
Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)
"Hard Knock Life " is a single from rapper Jay-Z's third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. It samples the song "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the Broadway musical Annie. The song was produced by The 45 King and at the time of its release, was the most commercially successful Jay-Z single. The RIAA...
".
Roth's lyrics characteristically center around what have been called "middle-class minutiae, some also consider them to be a joke." Roth's song "I Love College" is about partying but includes fatuous lyrics such as "I can get pizza a dollar a slice" that have been identified as "far from threatening".
Music 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 SRCSRC Records
SRC Records is an American record label created by former Loud Records CEO Steve Rifkind. It is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group and is distributed through Universal Republic Records.-Company history:...
, Def Jam, Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
and Atlantic. Roth would eventually sign a joint venture between Braun's Schoolboy Music and Steve Rifkind
Steve Rifkind
Steve Rifkind is a music entrepreneur who is, according to XXL magazine, "responsible for breaking in some of hip-hop’s biggest artists in his 25 years in the business". Rifkind was the founder and chairman of Loud Records as well as the founder and current chairman and CEO of SRC Records...
, chairman of SRC
SRC Records
SRC Records is an American record label created by former Loud Records CEO Steve Rifkind. It is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group and is distributed through Universal Republic Records.-Company history:...
/Universal Records. On June 13, 2008, Roth put out his first professional release, the Don Cannon
Don Cannon
Donald Cannon is an American record producer and DJ. At the age of five, Donald Cannon began his musical career with his first a set of turntables, a mixer and a karaoke machine...
and DJ Drama
DJ Drama
Tyree Cinque Simmons better known as DJ Drama is an American hip hop artist and the official DJ for Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist T.I.....
-helmed The Greenhouse Effect mixtape, via the Internet. This resulted in Roth being the second white rapper to be featured on Drama and Cannon’s Gangsta Grillz series.
2009: Asleep in the Bread Aisle
Roth started recording a full album in late 2008. It was completed in 2009. The first single was "I Love CollegeI Love College
"I Love College" is the debut single by American rapper Asher Roth, from his debut album Asleep in the Bread Aisle. The song was released on January 13, 2009....
" which received many hits across North America. His second single was "Lark on my Go-Kart
Lark on My Go-Kart
"Lark on My Go-Kart" is the second single from Asher Roth's major-label debut album Asleep In the Bread Aisle. Produced by Oren Yoel & David Appleton, the single was released on March 24, 2009.-Music video:The music video was directed by Ryan Maloney...
". After the two singles were released, Roth's studio album Asleep in the Bread Aisle
Asleep in the Bread Aisle
-Chart positions:-Samples:*"As I Em"**"Geraldine and John" by Joe Jackson*"Fallin"**"Falling" by Ben Kweller**"Kissing My Love" by Bill Withers*"I Love College"**"Say It Ain't So" by Weezer **"Impeach the President" by the Honey Drippers...
was released on April 20, 2009. He supported his album with a nationwide tour with B.o.B.
B.O.B.
B.O.B. is a video game that was released in 1993. It is a side-scrolling game developed by Gray Matter Interactive and Foley Hi-Tech Systems, and published by Electronic Arts. It is both a 2D shooter and a platform game, and is available for both the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega...
and Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi , better known by his stage name Kid Cudi , sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the...
. Asher also joined Blink-182
Blink-182
Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992...
in the second half of their reunion tour in the fall of 2009.
Roth was featured on the cover of XXL
XXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.In 1997, XXL was founded by former Source staffers as well as other Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own magazine about the hip-hop music and culture using the model developed by the founders of The Source...
magazine’s annual Top 10 Freshmen: Hip-Hop’s Class ’09 issue.
2010-present: The Rawth EP and Is This Too Orange?
After finishing touring in 2009 and releasing a second mixtape, Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry, Roth began working on his second studio album. From his friend Boyder's YouTube page, he has been seen working with producers Pharrell WilliamsPharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
and Nottz Raw. While working with Nottz, the two of them decided to collaborate on a project together, due to having a number of records rejected by the label due to sampling & copyright issues. The end result was an eight track EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, solely produced by Nottz, entitled The Rawth EP. The EP, which features appearances from Colin Munroe
Colin Munroe
Colin Munroe is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer originally from North Gower, Ontario, who now resides in Toronto.-Biography:...
, D.A. (of Chester French
Chester French
Chester French is an American indie pop band consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter David-Andrew 'D.A.' Wallach and multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Maxwell Drummey...
), Rhymefest
Rhymefest
Che Smith , known by the stage name of Rhymefest, is an American hip hop artist from Chicago, Illinois whose first official album, Blue Collar, was released on July 11, 2006. He co-wrote Kanye West's "Jesus Walks", which won a Grammy at the 47th Grammy Awards. In October, 2010, Rhymefest announced...
and Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall
Jason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...
, was released December 27, 2010. Roth released and promoted "G.R.I.N.D (Get Ready It's a New Day)", the first single off of his upcoming second album, by traveling to different radio stations around the country. Roth revealed four tracks on his upcoming album in a XXL
XXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.In 1997, XXL was founded by former Source staffers as well as other Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own magazine about the hip-hop music and culture using the model developed by the founders of The Source...
article. One features Game, one is produced by Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
and another is titled "Run it Back". On May 25, it was announced that Roth's second studio album would no longer be called The Spaghetti Tree. His song with Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
titled "Last Man Standing" is featured on the soundtrack for the videogame Madden NFL 12
Madden NFL 12
Madden NFL 12 is an American football video game based on the National Football League published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It was released on August 30, 2011 in North America and September 2, 2011 in Europe...
. In an interview with Rikki Martinez of Power 106 he announced he will be releasing a mixtape titled Pabst & Jazz and revealed the title of his upcoming second album, Is This Too Orange?. On November 11th, 2011 he released the first offering off Pabst & Jazz, a song titled "Common Knowledge". In November 2011, Roth signed to Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
after several years been signed to SRC Records
SRC Records
SRC Records is an American record label created by former Loud Records CEO Steve Rifkind. It is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group and is distributed through Universal Republic Records.-Company history:...
.
Personal life
Asher Roth is open about his use of cannabisCannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
. As stated in an interview conducted and filmed by DJ Vlad
DJ Vlad
Vladimir Lyubovny, better known as DJ Vlad, is a disc-jockey and currently the Executive Vice President at Loud.com, part of the SRC/Universal family. He is also CEO of VladTV.com - a video website that many refer to as 'The TMZ of Hip-Hop'....
, Roth stated his views about the legalization of marijuana and the use of cigarettes:
Cigarettes don't do anything for you except kill you ... I honestly don't believe [marijuana] is the gateway drug, because I use it and I've never done anything else ... I'm trying to be open about my "pot smoking" ...
Mixtapes
- The GreenHouse Effect (2008)
- Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry (2010)
- Pabst & Jazz (2011)
Awards
- MTV Video Music AwardsMTV Video Music AwardsAn MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
- Best New Artist ("I Love CollegeI Love College"I Love College" is the debut single by American rapper Asher Roth, from his debut album Asleep in the Bread Aisle. The song was released on January 13, 2009....
") [Nominated] - Best Hip Hop Video ("I Love College") [Nominated]
- Best New Artist ("I Love College
External links
- Official website
- Office page at FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...