Rockin' With Roth

At 24 years old, and armed with a degree in Elementary Education - Asher Roth is positioned to be the next hip-hop stalwart. He might not turn into a superstar but like such artists as Del the Funky Homosapien, RZA, or Aesop Rock - he might gently guide the emergence of true hip-hop from the sludge of modern rap. The social conscience and swagger of an emcee like Roth, reminds us why studio rats like T-Pain and Lil' Wayne should have their careers stripped as soon as possible.

Released for free last year through his website was The GreenHouse Effect Mixtape: Vol. 1. This plays like most underground mixtapes, with twenty-plus tracks and a smorgasboard of producers. And that is kind of the problem with this recording. Being an up-and-comer I can see the intimidation factor for Roth, but his flow seems forced and/or uninspired throughout the mixtape - as he lets iconic producers like Kanye West, Pharell, Timbaland, and Will.I.Am run away with the show, when it's supposed to be showcasing him.

However, if you move to his debut album Asleep in the Bread Aisle, you definitely hear what this kid is all about. Not enslaved to producers here, he plays mostly with a live band and spits rhythmically complex, and insightful lyrics through out most of the album. "Blunt Cruisin" and "La Di Da" are throw aways, they sound like hip-hop sound scapes that were thrown in to fill out a track obligation. Roth's rhymes feel tagged on.

Beyond those two there is not a throwaway song on the rest of the album (even the sarcastic, deadpan deliver that distinguishes his lead single "I Love College" works in the context of the record). You can tell this is an artist that does for a love of hip-hop and not to count their spins on modern radio, this feels like a throwback to the days when hip-hop was relevant and imporant...it has De La Soul written all over it. He even tackles the inevitable comparisons that sure to rise with the song "As I Em" - in which he praises and shows gratitude to Eminem for breaking the glass ceiling so that he could now be embraced by the industry he so obviously loves.

"Be By Myself" might very well be the sickest song on the album, with a beautiful hook from Cee-Lo (Goodie Mob and Gnarls Barkley) - I predict now that this will be the next single, as well it should be. But make no mistake, Roth does not hide behind guests on this album, only four songs here feature artists other than Roth himself, he carries this one on his own brilliantly.

If you liked rap, and you hate where rap has gone, you might just find a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel by the time this record stops spinning.