Emcees of the Month: Pac Div

This week, I'll let the members of Pac Div speak for themselves. Interestingly enough, one of the discussed topics is their tour with January's Emcee of the Month, Asher Roth. Don't you love it when everything comes together?

P.S. There's something I love about the "handheld video camera in the radio station" style. Maybe I'm just cheap.

peace.

Emcee of the Month: Asher Roth

This will be the last week I highlight Asher Roth, and I'd like to end the month with his first single "G.R.I.N.D. (Get Ready It's a New Day)" off of his forthcoming album The Spaghetti Tree.

After spending the month listening to Asher, I am really impressed by his commitment to solid, steady progress as an artist. So many new emcees see debut hits as a chance to propel themselves into superstar territory which, more often than not, never quite comes to fruition. But Mr. Roth seems to be following a more measured and deliberate approach. He's making very credible and insightful choices about the artists with whom he chooses to collaborate, and he is doing the grassroots ground work that remains the tried and true method of solidifying one's fanbase. Plus, the cat can rhyme, he makes enjoyable music, and he doesn't take himself to seriously. I've had fun learning more about Asher and his music this month, and I look forward to hearing good things from him in the future.

peace.

Emcee of the Month: Asher Roth

Every so often a song will emerge from the massive boiling cauldron of hip hop music and ignite the rawest of emcee flames, setting of culture-wide cyphers that can last for weeks, or even months. Most of the time it happens during the summer; the party season. The record is almost always an unexpected hit, and each new incarnation seems more unimagined than the one before.

Such was the case a few years ago when Lil Wayne released his record "A Milli", which stood hip hop on its ear in the summer of 2008. It wasn't long after its official release when a plethora of emcees used the instrumental to record their own versions of the track. And quite frankly, how could they resist? Yes, the song is stripped-down, monotonous, and repetitive. But there is a darkness and mystery to it that is undeniably intoxicating.

The list of emcees that recorded verses on the track was extensive, including Jay-Z, The Game, Jadakiss, Papoose, Drake, and...you guessed it, Asher Roth. As always, youtube is your friend if you'd like to hear them all. But Asher's is just below, so have a listen. Oh, and listen to the original, too. It will definitely give Mr. Roth's contribution more context.

peace.

Emcee of the Month: Asher Roth

I was bouncing around youtube tonight looking for some performance footage of Asher Roth and happened upon this video of Ash doing a cover of "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas for BBC Radio 1. It's good. Ash and his crew, The Roth Boys (hmmm...), seem to be having a good time and making things fun for the listeners.

But more than that, Asher has allowed someone to record him and his crew doing a cover of another hip hop song. That got me thinking. I've seen artists like The Roots, Common, and Talib Kweli do bits of other artists' tracks in their live performances, but rarely do I see those bits recorded. Why is that? Why is it hip hop artists don't do recorded covers? I mean, there's this video, the In Tha Beginning...There Was Rap compilation album, Snoop's "Paper'd Up" (which was Eric B and Rakim's "Paid in Full"), and that's about all I can think of.

Perhaps it's due to the fear in the hip hop community of being criticized for borrowing and re-imagining a new idea, which is ironic because that's what hip hop beat makers have been doing since around 1974.

Or maybe it's simply a case of hip hop not having enough historical source material from which to sufficiently revisit an idea. But honestly, that would be a really lame excuse. There are dozens of memorable artists and memorable tracks from hip hop's past that I would love to hear rediscovered and reworked. Imagine OutKast doing their take on "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" or Kanye West taking on a new "Planet Rock" project. How incredible would that be?

Best of all, projects like these would allow younger generations in the culture to continually be exposed to hip hop history in way that's more digestible. They won't feel they're being scolded for "not knowing their roots". They would have the opportunity to enjoy these songs with the same sense of discovery and excitement as those who were so fortunate to experience them at their inception.

I vote more covers in hip hop!

peace.

Emcee of the Month: Asher Roth

So I took a day off yesterday, primarily because I took a 4 1/2 hour nap from 6:30pm-11pm. After I woke up, the evening had turned into midnight and my interest and attention was waning. So let's just chalk it up to a "slow news day."

This is week two of highlighting Asher Roth this month, and I thought I'd offer an interview he did with Hot 93.7 in Hartford, CT. I'm especially impressed with not only the topics of conversation in this interview, but the informal comradery. This conversation looks and feels very much like many I've had with friends of mine; in parking lots and backyards curious about each other's opinions. I even like the occasional plane flying overhead.

Also, there are some really wonderful topics here. Asher talks about the future of hip hop as he sees it, acknowledges some very talented and underrated emcees, and how he's building his artistic base. I hope you enjoy.





Tomorrow: A Journey to the Broken Angel
peace.

Welcome! Emcee of January 2011: Asher Roth

Hello Everyone!

So here it is, my blog. I’m not quite sure where it’s headed, but I’m fairly certain of how I’d like it to begin. My hope is to inspire discovery and discussion of emcees and hip hop artists that happen to catch the attention of myself and/or the greater hip hop community. Each month I’ll post a new artist, and each week I’ll highlight a song, album, or performance from the artist that I feel may have musical or performative significance. Also, whatever gets posted will probably be DOPE! Hopefully, there will be a healthy, robust, and productive conversation that may lead to some level of enrichment or enlightening for all those concerned. I don’t think there can ever be too much of that, do you?

Now, I don’t plan on sticking to the topic all the time. Throughout the course of a month, we all have an innumerable amount of engaging and stimulating experiences that may or may not be related to who we think we are. So there will probably be many occasions in which I will post something that will have little to nothing to do with hip hop, and I think that’s okay. I hope you will be compelled to participate in those discussions as well!

And PLEASE feel free to bring anything to my attention that you feel may be relevant. I’ll also be incredibly grateful if you correct me when I’m wrong. I can’t catch it all!

With that, allow me to present my very first Emcee of the Month: Asher Roth.

You think I’m outta my mind, don’t you?

Well, lemme tell you something…

This kid is nice. I’ve always thought so.

Perhaps you had a slight scrunch of the mouth or wince in the eye when you first heard his single “I Love College” in the spring of 2009. When I stumbled upon Asher on the radio while I was living in Louisiana at the time, my first thoughts were, “White kid. He's nice. Not Eminem. One hit. Case closed,” and I never really thought much of him after that.

Not that I didn’t think he had talent, but rather that hip hop doesn’t seem to be able to support more than one or two high profile “novelty” (non-Black and/or non-male) artists at a time. (I’ve put novelty in quotes because I don’t believe in its validity.) And it seemed to me that the “I Love College” single was an attempt not to solidify Asher as a credible artist as much as it was an attempt to corner market share already occupied by Eminem. Therefore, that single didn’t really do Asher’s artistry any justice.

Nevertheless, shame on me for not digging further until now.

A few weeks ago my good friend and go-to homie for all things new in hip hop, DJ Black Daniels of Atlanta’s 5 Star Generals, put me on to the new album You Need This Music by Virginia incredi-producer Nottz. As I’m listening I come upon track 10 “Dontcha Wanna Be (My Neighbor)” featuring Colin Munroe and…you guessed it…Asher Roth. Nottz is not the kind of artist who wouldn't have any pretenders or fly-by-night emcees on his album, so this collaboration piqued my interest to find out more about Mr. Roth.

In addition to numerous interviews and freestyles Asher’s done two mixtapes,Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry and The Greenhosue Effect, the latter of which was guided by DJ Drama and Don Cannon who put together this little project called Gangsta Grillz. (By the way, I’m looking for BOTH of these now, so get at me if you’ve got it!) Furthermore his upcoming album The Spagetti Tree, which is scheduled for release sometime this year, will offer further collaboration with Nottz, along with The Game, Pharrell, and Swizz Beats. Recently, Asher Roth and Nottz released The Rawth EP which I will be checking as soon as I’m done with this post.

And as for the Eminem comparison; yes, Asher and Em may have similar dialect patterns and vocal resonances, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard Slim rhyme or perform with Asher’s ease or malleability. Em likes to push against tracks, Ash seems to prefer moving with them.

At any rate, Asher Roth is definitely making his own lane.

Check out his Hot97 freestyle with Funkmaster Flex from June 25, 2009.

Peace.