Asher Roth

Asher Roth

Asher Roth is a US rapper from Pennsylvania.

Asher Roth: Childhood

Asher Roth was born in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. As a child, his parents listened to music like Bruce Springsteen, Earth Wind and Fire and Dire Straits. He says that his first exposure to hip-hop was when he listened to Annie's sample with Jay-Z

Asher Roth: Music

Whilst he was at high school, Asher and his friends would perform rap battles for fun, calling their group the 'hip-hop workshop'. By the time he was in 10th grade, he was recording tracks in a friend's basement and selling the tapes at school. In a single day, he sold 250 copies and it was this that inspired him to follow a career in hip-hop.

When he graduated from high school, Roth began studying at West Chester University, where he majored in Elementary Education. He continued rhyming and recording his work. In his sophomore year, he set up a MySpace page and alerted his work to Scooter Braun, who had previously worked for Jermaine Dupri's So So Def company. Braun took an instant liking to Roth's work and became his manager. Roth moved to Atlanta to focus on his hip-hop career.

A number of labels were interested in signing Asher Roth, including Def Jam, Warner Bros. and SRC. When he met the head of Def Jam, Jay-Z, Asher was made to perform an impromptu rap for the label boss. Roth eventually signed a joint deal with Steve Rifkind, the chairman of SRC / Universal Records and Scooter Braun's Schoolboy Music.

In June 2008, Asher Roth's first professional record was released on the internet. The release saw Roth collaborating on The Greenhouse Effect with DJ Drama (known for his work with Lil' Wayne) and Don Cannon. Roth later became the first white rapper to collaborate with DJ Drama on the Gangsta Grillz series.

Asher Roth's first full album release was entitled Asleep In The Bread Aisle and was released in 2009. One track on the album, 'As I Em' refers to the frequent comparisons between himself and Eminem. Roth's lyrics tend to focus on suburban life. The single 'I Love College' is about partying at college, drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. Although he has stated that he respects Eminem, he thinks the references are inaccurate and has claimed that the likes of OutKast, Mos Def and The Notorious B.I.G. have been bigger influences on his work.

After a performance at Rutgers University, Asher Roth posted on his Twitter page and made a racist remark. He was forced to retract the remark and apologise publicly.