If you have no clue who I'm talking about then I have a feeling you will in the summer of 2009. He recently released his radio single called "I Love College" and apparently it's quickly becoming the "college anthem" of 2009 (I'm not in college anymore so I have no idea if this is true). The song is a very poppy-upbeat "hip-hop" song about drinking, smoking weed, getting laid, etc.... while at college. It's exactly what you would expect a frat boy to put on right before he takes off his shirt and starts screaming "I love you bro" at the top of his lungs. It's by no means a terrible song for what it is, but I don't think it really portrays Asher's style.
Asher Roth is some white kid that likes hip-hop. He gained the attention of some labels/producers/whoever via MySpace and was eventually signed and will release his first studio record on April 20th. Personally I think this kid is going to blow up pretty quickly and he will be the next big thing whether you like what he's doing or not. People are comparing him to Eminem already... He obviously has a long way to go to get to Em's status, but I think he's got a good start. I mean look at Eminem and his first single "My Name Is", it was a poppy, radio song that personally I hated (and still don't really like). While it may have shown a little more depth to his lyrics than Asher's "I Love College", they are still similar in the fact that they are what they are, radio friendly, hip-pop songs. If you would have told me that "The Slim Shady LP" was going to be one of the best hip hop albums I'd ever listen to, I would have thought you were crazy, but that's just what it is. Even "The Marshall Mathers LP" had The Real Slim Shady, which was a ridiculously stupid song, but catchy none the less.
So while most of you will probably hear Asher Roth's I Love College this summer and think it's a disgrace to hip-hop and just another label trying to make money off some white rapper, listen to some of his older freestyles you can find on MySpace or YouTube. For example, The Reading, which I've posted above, much better than the college song, and a lot more lyrically in depth. So before you write the kid off as just another no-talent-wanna-be-eminem-ass-clown, listen to something other than I Love College, and just wait... he's going to be huge this summer, I'm willing to put money on it.
"I Love College" has been embedded after the jump if you wanna check it out. The Reading is above and the intro to his new CD "Asleep in the Bread Aisle" (Lark On My Go Kart) is embedded below also. Album in stores 4/20.
US $20.95
