Asher Paul Roth (born August 11, 1985) is an American rapper from Morrisville, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his 2009 debut single " I Love College," which peaked at number 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and foresaw the birth of

frat rap Frat rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that emerged in the late 2000s. It is sonically easygoing with a straightforward rhyming style and singsong cadence accompanied by a lyrical focal point on coming of age hedonism, which can include campus lif ...

, a college-oriented subgenre of hip hop. Prior, Roth signed with SRC Records in 2008, as well as then- So So Def Recordings executive Scooter Braun's newfound record label, Schoolboy Records that same year. His contract entered a joint venture with Universal Motown Records to release the aforementioned song, which served as lead single for Roth's debut studio album, '' Asleep in the Bread Aisle'' (2009). Despite mixed reviews, the album peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' 200 and became his only release with a

major label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...

, due to creative differences with Braun. Roth signed with the

indie record label Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *Independent media, media free of influence by government or corporate interests *Indie art, fine arts made by artists independent of commer ...

Federal Prism to release his second studio album, '' RetroHash'' (2014), which moderately entered the ''Billboard'' 200. His third album, '' Flowers on the Weekend'' (2020), was widely panned by critics.

Life and career

1985–2007: Early life and career beginnings

Roth was born and raised in Morrisville, Pennsylvania. He is of

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

ancestry. His mother, Elizabeth (''née'' McConnell), is a

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

instructor, and his father, David Roth, is the executive director of a design firm. He attended Pennsbury High School. After graduating from high school, he entered

West Chester University West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university located in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the ...

and became an Elementary Education major, while continuing to record verses over the popular production of other rappers. During his sophomore year, he posted some of his verses on his

Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

page and sent a friend request to Scooter Braun, an

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

-based promoter and former VP of Marketing for

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...

's So So Def Recordings. One week after speaking to Braun, Roth flew down to Atlanta and was immediately signed by Braun, who subsequently became his manager.

2008–2010: ''Asleep in the Bread Aisle''

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 SRC,

Def Jam Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

and

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. Roth would eventually sign a joint venture between Braun's Schoolboy and Steve Rifkind, chairman of SRC/Universal Records. On June 13, 2008, via the internet, Roth released his first professional release, the Don Cannon and

DJ Drama Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978), known professionally as DJ Drama, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record executive and music promoter. He initially gained recognition as the DJ for Atlanta-based rapper T.I., and continued to gai ...

-helmed

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

, ''The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 1''. This resulted in Roth being the second white rapper to be featured on Drama and Cannon's Gangsta Grillz series. Roth subsequently began recording his major-label debut album. In late 2008, it was revealed Roth was included in ''XXL'''s 2009 annual Freshman Class, and was featured on the cover alongside fellow up-and-coming rappers

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ; formerly stylized as KiD CuDi), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Clevelan ...

, Wale, B.o.B, Charles Hamilton,

Cory Gunz Peter Cory Pankey, Jr. (born June 22, 1987), better known by his stage name Cory Gunz, is an American rapper from the Bronx, New York City.Jessica Koslow, "Interview: Cory Gunz: Youngest In Charge," February 1, 2005, found aHipHopDx website Acc ...

, Blu, Mickey Factz,

Ace Hood Antoine Franklin McColister (born May 11, 1988), known professionally Ace Hood, is an American rapper. Born in Port St. Lucie and raised in Deerfield Beach, Florida, he was discovered by DJ Khaled and became the first act to sign with his rec ...

and

Curren$y Shante Scott Franklin (born April 4, 1981), better known by his stage name Currensy (stylized as Curren$y), is an American rapper. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, he signed with the local record labels Cash Money Records and Young Mo ...

. Roth's debut single " I Love College", was released in January 2009 as the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

on his debut album. The song is considered the first song of the

subgenre of

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

. His second single " Lark on my Go-Kart", was released March 24, 2009. After the two singles were released, Roth's debut studio album '' Asleep in the Bread Aisle'' was released on April 20, 2009, in honor of cannabis subculture's 420 holiday. During the summer of 2009, Roth joined fellow ''XXL'' freshmen alumni

and B.o.B, for 'The Great Hangover'

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific ...

. Roth also joined

Blink-182 Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...

in the second half of their reunion tour in the fall of 2009.

2010–2012: ''The Rawth EP'' and other projects

After touring in 2009 and releasing a second mixtape titled ''Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry'' in March 2010, Roth began working on his second studio album, then-titled ''The Spaghetti Tree''. From his friend Boyder's YouTube page, he was seen working with high-profile record producers

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

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 and copyright issues. The result was an eight track

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(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 Jason Drew Harrow (born May 11, 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall ( ), is a Canadian rapper and record producer. Often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", he has been regarded as one of the country's most prominent ...

, was released December 27, 2010. On July 26, 2010, Roth released " G.R.I.N.D (Get Ready It's a New Day)", the initial first single from ''The Spaghetti Tree'', and promoted the song by traveling to different radio stations across the country. In a July 2010 '' XXL'' interview, while speaking on ''The Spaghetti Tree'', Roth revealed four tracks from the album. One was said to feature West Coast rapper

Game A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or video games) or art ...

, one produced by

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in the Bronx borough of New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ in 1994. At the age ...

and another was revealed to be titled "Run it Back". On May 25, 2011, it was announced that Roth's second studio album would no longer be called ''The Spaghetti Tree''. On July 19, 2011, Roth released a song titled "Last Man Standing", as a single. The song, which features African-American singer-songwriter

Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...

, was featured on the soundtrack to the 2011 video game ''

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 Asia, September 1, 2011 in Australia, and Septemb ...

''. In an interview with Rikki Martinez of ''

Power 106 KPWR (105.9 FM) – branded as ''Power 106'' – is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area. KPWR is owned and operated by Alex Meruelo's Meruelo Group, through licensee KPWR Radio Ho ...

'', Roth announced he would be releasing a mixtape titled ''Pabst & Jazz'' and revealed the new title of his upcoming second album to be ''Is This Too Orange?''. On November 11, 2011, he released the first offering off ''Pabst & Jazz'', a song titled "Common Knowledge". In November 2011, Roth signed with

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

through the resurface of defunct label

Loud Records Loud Records, LLC. (a backronym for Listeners of Urban Dialect) is a record label founded by Steve Rifkind and Rich Isaacson in 1991. Rifkind served as the chief executive officer while Isaacson served as the president of the label. The label si ...

, which is now still a subsidiary label of SRC Records. In April 2012, Roth revealed he was once again working with producer Nottz Raw, as well as

Blink 182 Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...

drummer

Travis Barker Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician, songwriter, and music producer who is the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has collaborated with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Transplants ...

, on an EP titled ''Rawther''. In late 2012, Roth revealed he scrapped the ''Is This Too Orange?'' title for his second album, out of respect for Def Jam label mate

Frank Ocean Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. He has been credited by several music journalism, music critics as a pioneer of the alternative R&B genre. Ocean has won two Grammy Awards and a B ...

's debut '' Channel Orange'' (2012).

2013–2016: ''RetroHash''

On June 5, 2013, Roth announced he would be reuniting with DJ Drama and Don Cannon, to release the sequel to his critically acclaimed mixtape ''The Greenhouse Effect'' ''The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 2'' was released on June 25, 2013. In December 2013, Roth revealed his long-awaited and often-delayed second studio album is titled ''RetroHash'' which was released on April 22, 2014. In a December interview, on a ''Juan Epstein'' podcast with

Peter Rosenberg Peter Elliot Rosenberg (born July 23, 1979)Chris Richards''Washington Post'', May 31, 2013. is an American radio disc jockey, television show host, and professional wrestling personality. He is a co-host of two New York City radio programs: '' E ...

and Cipha Sounds, Roth announced he is still planning on releasing his collaborative EP ''Rawther'', with Nottz Raw and Travis Barker; as well as an EP with renowned hip hop producer

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned along ...

, tentatively titled ''Pete Roth''. Upon its release, ''RetroHash'' debuted at number 45 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, with first-week sales of 6,100 copies in the United States. In March 2016, Roth announced that he is preparing his third studio album ''Red Hot Revival''.

2016–present: ''Flowers on the Weekend''

In 2016, Asher Roth moved back to his home state of Pennsylvania after many years living away in Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles. He reconnected with an old musical friend, Rob Deckhart, and they started working on a number of songs. Over the years, they came up with the album ''Flowers on the Weekend'' that was released in April 2020.

Musical style

Influences

Asher Roth cites

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

and

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

among his influences in hip hop, mostly by Jay-Z's " Hard Knock Life". Growing up, Roth was exposed to little

in his family, with his parents preferring "

The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...

...

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

and

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals, lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums, percussion). Th ...

." According to Roth: He also stated:

Personal life

Roth does not consider himself

, although his name sometimes leads people to believe that he is, and he has Jewish ancestry. Roth is open about his use of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

. As stated in an interview conducted and filmed by

DJ Vlad DJ Vlad (born Vladislav Lyubovny, June 28, 1973) is a Ukrainian-American interviewer, journalist, and former DJ. He is the creator of the news website ''VladTV.com''. His namesake YouTube channel hosts interviews of prominent entertainers and cel ...

, Roth explained his views about the legalization of cannabis: "Cigarettes don't do anything for you except kill you... I honestly don't believe arijuanais the gateway drug, because I use it, and I've never done anything else... I'm trying to be open about my pot smoking."Interview
with

about drugs, YouTube

Discography

* '' Asleep in the Bread Aisle'' (2009) * '' RetroHash'' (2014) * '' Flowers on the Weekend'' (2020)

Filmography

Awards

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category ...

**Best New Artist (" I Love College") ominated**Best Hip Hop Video ("I Love College") ominated

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roth, Asher 1985 births Living people American cannabis activists 21st-century American male rappers American people of Jewish descent American people of Scottish descent Def Jam Recordings artists East Coast hip-hop musicians Loud Records artists People from Morrisville, Pennsylvania Rappers from Philadelphia Schoolboy Records artists Songwriters from Pennsylvania SRC Records artists Universal Records artists West Chester University alumni 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians Pennsbury High School alumni Universal Motown Records artists American male songwriters Frat rap