I tend to be a little in awe of hip-hop artists watching the way they can string words together on the drop of a dime. (It takes me pretty much an hour to write a sentence.) The genre has been used as such a powerful tool of social awareness but that being said… you won’t really find it put to its best use in Asher Roth’s lyrics. Roth is kind of a goofball, exploiting the cliches of his college life-style. But I do understand how that is also a considerable part of his charm. Sometimes you just want to kick back, crank the stereo, and bust out some ridiculous phrases. If that is the case, then I’d suggest throwing on “Mr. Me” or “Start the Show” before you went for the more popular “College”. They have a tighter lyrical quality and also make him sound a bit more like a polished artist than a guy who happened to stumble into the microphone at a keggar. “Mr. Me” was produced by Pharrell and “Start the Show” was overseen by Kayne, so it’s obvious Roth already has a strong backing of support. My initial hesitation is probably more personal preference than public outcry. I think I really need to get a sense of how seriously he takes himself before I can make a final judgement call. If he’s in control of his persona and aware he plays the fool from time to time, then I just might be able to dig him.
