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Rap isn’t dead it’s just evolving. The days of Biggie and Pac are long gone, and a new era of internet-aided superstardom, and ring-tone domination is being ushered in by a new breed of cunning linguists. While some newcomers are hungry for success, other, better-known artists seem to be stagnantly basking in their fame. Kanye is preoccupied sitting at his computer posting on his blog, and wearing $100k Louis Vuitton backpacks to the gym. Eminem is battling high cholesterol, and Dr. Dre is busy getting his dick sucked by every Game track, pre LAX. Jay-Z is fucking Beyonce, while simultaneously handing the torch of hip-hop glory to a promethazine fiend who sells a million records in a week, but won’t have enough brain cells left to achieve the greatness he inevitably would. Underground is preachy, T-Pain thinks that singing like you just got your period is somehow catchy, and Soulja Boy is masking pop as the biggest piece of shit recorded since the Star Spangled Banner. So what then proves that hip-hop is evolving rather continuing to seep six-feet-under? The answer to that is simple, white, and looks like the kid who mows your lawn, and secretly fucks your wife while you’re fucking your secretary. His name is Asher Roth and he, apparently, loves college. He’s the epitome of the rebellious, middle-class, suburban American who makes up the majority of people who buy, steal, and listen to hip-hop music in this country. But in this case Roth isn’t the consumer; he’s the voice of a generation of white kids who fuck with an industry dominated by black performers. Not since Norman Rockwell has a person captured the human condition of his contemporaries as accurately as Roth. But instead of painting pictures of mid-1900s America, Roth reps the “burbs,” and expertly weaves pop-culture references in-between witty rhymes and intelligently superfluous battle-banter. Roth just released a mix-tape with DJ Drama and Don Cannon, in which he hilariously called out Farnsworth Bentley (et. al.) by noting “you know the world’s gone mad when blacks wear plaid.” He rhymes about performing an array of sexual acts to various cartoon characters, and goes emo with John “I’m fucking Jennifer Aniston” Mayer on his version of the unattainable goal of world change. Roth is a skilled rapper, straight up, who has the potential to not only change a game dominated by color, but also change it for the brighter. We at Tha Carter Cartel recently had an opportunity to speak with Asher on everything from Super-Producer Nottz, to Barack Obama, to his insane beer pong run. Here’s what he had to say, enjoy.
Don’t sleep, ever.
Quincy Moore for Tha Carter Cartel
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Tha Carter Cartel: What’s good Asher? How you livin’ these days?
Asher Roth: I’m good man, it’s been cool in Atlanta but I’m still kinda bummed out cause it’s the worst month to be in here with the mosquitoes and the heat. So you know, being a fair skinned-white kid I spend most of my time indoors man, but it’s all good.
TCC: (Laughing) That’s what’s up. We understand you just moved your life “Entourage” style to the ATL and have been hanging out with the likes of Ludacris and OutKast. How’s that been, and how you like the ATL besides those fucking mosquitoes?
AR: It’s been cool, the main reason I moved to Atlanta was for networking, and you know it’s kind of the epicenter of what’s going on right now. It was a no brainer to move out of PA and get myself down to Atlanta for a little bit, so it’s cool getting to link up with some of these people you see on TV all the time. It’s been incredible man, but I mean it just started, you know, the journey is just beginning.
TCC: So you just signed to SRC Records and Steve Rifkind, what kind of shit have you guys been getting into?
AR: (Laughs) We’re working on the LP right now but we’re always doing different projects. It’s obviously a very visual world we live in, so I’m always doing different videos and stuff like that as well. I pretty much film everything too. Something that happened is that I’m comfortable within my own skin so I have no problems when the cameras are on and the lights are on. I’m not putting on an act and I think that’s what’s important about the music as well; this is very authentic, organic music. With this world that we live in with YouTube, and this and that, I mean I said let’s just throw the camera on and let people into my world, you know, not only can they experience the music but they’ll be able to experience the video as well.
TCC: That’s real man, that’s how you gotta do it in this new era. So listen, we noticed you’ve been in the studio with Nottz, can you tell us anything about that?
AR: Yeah man I just got back from Virginia working with Nottz, he is an absolute beast, and we did some crazy, crazy stuff. I’m always trying to out [due] my last record cause I think that’s kind of the competition I hold with myself; if I wrote a dope song, the next song I want it to be doper than that. So I went out to Virginia with Nottz and we did some really interesting and different stuff that I’m really excited about. We’re talking about featuring some people, I’m gonna keep it a surprise though. But uh we got a really dope record with a really dope artist that’s gonna surprise you guys, I’m excited.
TCC: Damn man we can’t wait for that shit. So somehow before all this started you realized you could rap, when was that, how’d it happen?
AR: I mean I wasn’t raised on hip-hop; hip-hop was the last genre to really be introduced to my family. My older sister listened to the pop sensations like New Kids on the Block and shit; my middle sister she was into like punk rock and indie rock; my dad was Dire Straits and Bruce Springsteen and the classic rock; and then my mom was more about the Temptations and the jazz and the soul music. So there was no hip-hop in my house, but by the time I reached 13 or 14-years-old, you know I kinda picked up on it, which was like 1998, so I got into hip-hop really, really late. I mean the first [hip-hop] CD I bought was Jay-Z’s Vol. II, and when that Annie anthem came out I was like damn this shit is like a Broadway play, and he flipped it and that was real wild for me. Then when I was about 16-years-old I linked up with my buddy Brian Sellers and I used to beat-box and rap a little bit, and finally I was like, “yo, I think I can rap”. I just hung out in my room with like a tape recorder and shit, I mean I think every suburban kid does it you know, they just hang out and they rap, and I just happened to be good at it, so I ran with it. Senior year we ended up putting out a makeshift CD, recorded on our computer with a fucking $10 microphone, and we sold 250 copies in two days. And then in college I stuck with it and did the same thing in my dorm room. I won a talent show and shit, and whatever, I was never trying to get a deal, it wasn’t like “I wanna be a rapper,” it was just how I liked to spend my spare time, and something I really thoroughly enjoy to do.
TCC: The Greenhouse Effect Mixtape with DJ Drama and Don Cannon---mad props to Don---recently dropped and people are lovin’ it man, non-stop praise for the kid from the “burbs”. How do you feel about the reception it’s received?
AR: I mean, I really feel like I have to stay away from the blogs and everything. So I’m not reading comments because there’s nothing really positive that can come from that. I mean I’m either gonna get a big head, or I’m gonna have my feelings hurt. But from the response I’ve gotten personally, from people reaching out to me, has been very, very receptive. I think they’re just happy because it’s different. Some people are trying to call it an album or whatever, but it’s not, it’s really just something that showcases my versatility, we purposefully put a lot of different stuff on there. If you’re not in the mood for one thing there’s something else on the mixtape that you can like. It’s kind of a mixtape for everybody, from Britney Spears fans to Shorty Low fans. I think what was most important with it was, kind of to capture the fact that there’s a lot going on, I want to hit all over the spectrum. It’s something new, it’s something refreshing, it’s honest, good music and I think people really appreciate that.
TCC: So I want to talk about “I Love College,” I mean people are calling that shit the best party anthem in history! How does that make you feel?
AR: (Interjecting) I mean I don’t know about the best in history, but I think it could be up there. That track is about my life. That was my college career in a nutshell. I think Beastie Boys had “Fight For Your Right to Party”, and you know it’s definitely gonna give that a run for its money. But that song, I feel like if you went to college and you lived the ‘quote-un-quote’ college experience where you didn’t really lock yourself up and weren’t trying to get straight As and like Dean’s List and shit, if you actually experienced the college life and partied, that song is gonna speak to you. When I left school and came out to Atlanta I missed the hell out of it, it was the best time of my life. At West Chester there was a ratio of like 7-1, girls to guys. That was the best place it was heaven for me. You know just walk out of the house, roll over and rip a bong real quick, a nice sunny day, go look at girls in sun dresses and shit, it was great. I wanted to capture that nostalgia in the record, and so I paid homage to Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So” because that was such a classic song for us to party to. We got it all together and we wanted to make exactly that, an anthem for people to be like, man this is that shit. So you know, so far so good.
TCC: Well we say good fucking job man; we’ve been partying to that shit non-stop. Anyways, everyone under the sun has fucked with the “A Millie” beat, and your version is real nice but one line in particular really caught my ear. You say, “it’s not about the money, it’s about what you stand for.” I think that notion is particularly relevant in the current state of things and I was hoping you could expand on exactly what you stand for.
AR: All I’m really about is just honesty, integrity as a whole, as a man, as a country, and I don’t think we’re represented like that right now. I mean what I stand for personally is interesting man, because in this day and age our constitution, like more or less what America was built upon, is almost non-existent and it’s strange man. I really want people to understand that all men are created equal and it’s really the truth; we live in this capitalistic country, and I think music can make a difference; and I think hip-hop in particular is the most influential form of music out there. I’m chillin’ with these 11-year-olds at a basketball camp, and they know every word to that “A Millie” song by Lil’ Wayne. They’re listening to hip-hop music and we can’t just neglect that. We should welcome that, I mean the whole thing I stand for, and I’m not trying to preach on, or run for president or anything like that, but shit’s fucked up right now and someone in a position that can impact people should speak up about the fact that shit’s fucked up. I’m just more about unity and equality than anything else; I think people should just chill out and enjoy themselves. I mean everything is not gonna get fixed if we elect Obama. I mean you think Obama is gonna be able to fix everything? No, that’s not gonna happen, that’s unrealistic, but that is a step in the right direction. Because I think right now, as a country we want honesty and that’s all we want, we’re tired of being lied to, we’re tired of all the bullshit, we just need somebody who’s really gonna tell us what’s going on and try to fix the nonsense.
TCC: Respect. So coming up on your schedule you’re performing up in our neck of the woods in Boulder at the University of Colorado on Saturday. Can you tell us what to expect out of what will be one of your first major live shows?
AR: I’m real excited man, I mean we’ve done less than a handful [of shows], I think we’ve done three so far, and I’ve only been playing with my band for about a month-and-a-half or two months right now. But we’re almost like a small family, we hang out all the time, it’s not just like a bunch of musicians for hire, we’re all buddies. The live show is special, I think that’s the one word to describe it, it’s definitely a hip-hop show worth seeing. You know I’m kinda over the whole MC with a DJ on a stage thing, so we’re gonna branch out from that. I think a live band really showcases that it’s about the music; it’s a show, not just a concert. There are a lot of different elements to it, with guitar solos and interacting with my band and stuff. I’m just excited because it’s an experience for everybody and whoever shows up is gonna be like, “man that was a dope show I just saw.” I really want it to be like a Woodstock-like atmosphere where the music is bringing people together, not pushing them apart.
TCC: I know you’re a college dude like us and I was hoping you realize how crazy of a party school we got over here, any plans on taking advantage of that while you’re in town?
AR: Oh man of course, not a doubt. Like I said man, you gotta be careful what you wish for, and at the beginning of college I said I want to go to college for the rest of my life. I mean I’m sure I’ll get tired of it eventually, but I think I’ll be doing the college scene for a really long time.
TCC: I’ve been hearing rumors that you kill on the beer pong table. Any chance we can get a game?
AR: Definitely, let’s do it. I’m champion man I’m not gonna lie. Let’s see here, the last time I lost, actually I don’t think I ever lost man, I don’t think I’ve ever lost at beer pong.
TCC: (Laughs) Fuck yeah. Thanks a lot Asher, any last words for the readers?
AR: I just want to thank everybody: friends, fans, family, because without the support I don’t exist man, it means everything to me that you guys support, and are behind this movement and thanks so much for you guys for taking the same out of your day.
*Asher Roth will be performing with Girl Talk and Busdriver on Saturday August 23 @ the CU Boulder New Student Welcome Concert on Farrand Field
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www.thacartercartel.com/THURSDAY AFTERNOON I WILL ALSO BE INTERVIEWING ASHER ROTH, SO IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION THAT WASN'T ASKED COMMENT AND LEAVE IT HERE. I WILL CHOOSE THE BEST QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMENTS ON THIS POST AND THE COMMENTS ON CARTER CARTEL'S POST FOR THE NEXT INTERVIEW.
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