mcheadcase's Full Review: Asleep in the Bread Aisle [PA] by Asher Roth
As a white rapper, getting noticed by your peers is an easy task. But earning their respect is a whole different story. Perhaps the biggest hurdle of in the career of the white rapper is the eventual comparison to Eminem. Yep, I've said it before and I'll say it again: despite how you sound, whether you're mainstream or underground, if you're a white rapper you'll be compared to that particular Detroit rhymer. Of course, after Eminem became basically the biggest rap star in the world, there were plenty of people out there waiting to rip him off in an attempt to get as famous. Even Em realized this ("HEY! Here's a concept that works / 20 million other white rappers emerge / but no matter how many fish in the sea / it'll be so empty without me!"). While the biters and clones do indeed need to be dismissed, there are plenty of rappers who are just as talented as Em (with a few like Eyedea who are even better than him) but will never receive their just due simply because people will think they're trying to rip Em off. I've said before that Em has closed just as many doors as he's opened for Caucasian emcees, and that sadly enough stands true today. Such is the power of the White Rapper Curse.
And that's where Asher Roth comes in. For those that don't know, Asher Roth is a blonde-haired, suburban Philadelphia native, and the newest white rapper on the scene. He's gotten considerable attention from the industry, such as a mixtape hosted by DJ Drama and Don Cannon ("The Greenhouse Effect"), coverage in XXL Magazine for their "2009 Freshman Class" article, and co-signs from Hip-Hop heavyweights like Andre 3000 and Jay-Z . But even Asher can't escape the dreaded White Rapper Curse, and the comparisons to Eminem have pretty much dictated everybody's opinion on him. Some call him a breath of fresh air though most people pretty much label him a biter. Hell bent on proving that he is indeed his own man, Asher confronts the problem head on with the track "As I Em", the focal point of Asher's debut album, Asleep in the Bread Isle". Over a reggae guitar-based beat, Asher expresses his frustrations with the comparison and outlines the differences between him and Em, all the while showing him respect and admitting that he was indeed an influence. While he's not the first white rapper to address this issue, or even the first to dedicate a whole track to it (see Bekay), I still give Asher Roth props for acknowledging the elephant in the room instead of simply ignoring it and pretending that it doesn't exist. But perhaps the most ironic thing is that it's on this song, where he outlines the differences between him and Em, where he sounds like Em the most. Asher can say all day that their similarities end at "the same complexion and similar vocal inflection", but when you listen to his music, from the way he rhymes his words to his exaggerated flow to his writing style, the Eminem influence is so obvious that it's hard to take him seriously.
Listening to this album will show you Asher Roth's biggest problem, which is that he's not creative or original; he just relies on his influences and gimmick to make up for his lack of rhyme skill. Of course I already mentioned the fact that he sounds like a watered-down Eminem, but that's only half of the issue. Even worse is the front he puts on as "the suburban white rapper". Now there's nothing wrong with being from the suburbs or growing up rich. In fact, I give him points for being true to himself, cause that's exactly what Hip-Hop needs more of. What's frustrating is that he took his suburban lifestyle and based his entire identity around it, so he sounds more like a gimmick than anything. When you listen to his music, the attitude he carries is along the lines of "I'm from the suburbs yet I embrace Hip-Hop, so give me props!" and it's lame. Why should I respect him, just cause he's a rapper who doesn't look, act, or dress like a 'typical rapper'? It's basically the same thing that The Beastie Boys were doing in the late 80s and early 90s but in a preppy, Satrbucks kinda way with no soul or creativity. Nowhere else is this more evident than on the breakthrough lead single, "I Love College", a tribute to frat boy parties and crazy college life over a slow, bouncy beat with breezy guitar riffs. It's bad enough that this particular depiction of college life is completely played out, but even worse is that Asher approaches the song all wrong, with a lazy flow and incredibly simple lyrics, which sound worse through his exaggerated delivery: "So fill up my cup, let's get fucked up / I'm next on the table, who want what? / I am cham-pi-on at beer pong / Allen Iver-son, Hakeem Olaju-won". He attempts to sound laid back but he comes off as totally bored, like he doesn't even care what he's rapping about. Sure it may have a different vibe than your standard club track, but with the lazy approach, the song sounds so bland that even the characters from "Animal House" would wanna kick his ass after hearing it.
But as bad as "I Love College" is, at least it has sort of an impact compared to some of the other unspectacular songs on this album. I grew up in the suburbs the same as Asher Roth did, so I know firsthand there's not much about that lifestyle that would pass for an interesting rap song, so Asher's subject matter gets boring real quick. Take for example, the standard club track "She Don't Wanna Man". Backed by a techno-like backdrop of rising and falling synthesizer keys, Asher raps about hitting on a woman who only wants to party and doesn't care about romance. There's not much to say about this song except that it's an out-of-place attempt at appealing to the mainstream fans, and sounds completely forced. What makes it even worse is that the track that directly precedes it, "Be By Myself", has the EXACT SAME CONCEPT except the roles are reversed. Despite the complete lack of originality, "Be By Myself" is honestly not that bad; propelled by a soul-slicked guitar-based beat and an infectious Cee-lo hook, it's actually one of the few decent moments on this whole album. The same however cannot be said for "Lion's Roar", another mainstream-aping track where Asher showcases a double-time flow over a minimalist boom bap beat. On this track, Asher tries to paint a picture of himself of a sexual titan, though he sounds laughable when the lyrics are regressed to simple depictions such as "smack that butt, grab them breasts" and "Can I scratch and bite?". The track is brought down even more by Busta Rhymes, whose verse is so phoned in that it sounds like the only reason he's even on the track is to get some shameless self-promotion for his upcoming album ("Busta Bus and I'm 'Back on My Bullshit'!"). And of course, there's the obligatory weed song "Blunt Crusin'", where Asher once again adapts an exaggerated slow flow only this time his lack of rhyming skills are in full view, especially with the double rhyming in the second verse: "Where's the dutch at? Homey, pass that shit / not like that homey, ash that shit / can you turn the song up? Homey, Ash that shit!" With such cliched topics and badly made songs like these, one could say that Asher is not much different than the talentless hacks from VH1's "The White Rapper Show".
Well, he's tried to seek approval from every fraternity brother, but that seems to have failed. What about the Hip-Hop heads, can he get THEM on his side? God help him, he tries, with a few stabs at introspection. "Sour Patch Kids" is his socio-political attempt to show what a sorry state the world is in, over a fuzzed-out 70s arena rock soundscape. I definitely give him points for trying, but for the most part, he sounds generally uneducated in matters of the world with lines like "If we go hungry in our own country / I wonder what it's like living in Hungary" and basic ideals like "the poor get poorer, the rich just get richer" (like we've never heard THAT one before). With such a poor attempt at sounding conscious, it almost makes you wish he'd go back to the mainstream-aping crap. There's also "La Di Da", where we find Asher trying to detail the hardships of an up-and-coming emcee. Normally a track like this wouldn't be an issue, but Asher barely gives any insight on his struggle. For the most part, he sounds like he's rambling about nothing at all: "I'm in a phase, I believe I can change / in exchange for an explanation, estimation, hesitation / is it as visible dealing with digital? / fidgeting through e-mail when the issue is pivotal / critical condition, my heads in/ I'm heading in the wrong direction". It's another failed attempt at introspection, which is sad because this song features the best beat on the entire album, courtesy of Don Cannon. But just when you think there is no hope for Asher at all, he shines through at the very end and gives us a little glimpse of what he's really capable of; the final two songs, "His Dream" and "Fallin, show Asher to be an adept storyteller more than anything. While the latter is an enjoyable account of Asher's love for Hip-Hop, it's the former that really stands out: a tale of a father who gave up his dream of being a writer to support his family, but is now living that same dream vicariously through his son, an aspiring emcee. Yes, Asher tributes his father quite nicely over a combination of electric piano and strings, tinged with a backing choir. Asher once again uses a slow delivery but this time, his soft-spoken rapping sounds emotional instead of boring, and proves that Asher's true talent doesn't lie in frat boy anthems or drug tunes.
While most people have been fawning over Asher Roth since last year, looking at him as Hip-Hop's new great white hope, I've never really found anything about him worth noting. His mixtape was nothing special aside from one track (and ironically enough, that one track, "The Lounge", is offered as a bonus track if you buy the album on Itunes) and his "A Milli" freestyle was even less desirable. But I never write anyone off without seeing what they were truly capable of. But while "Asleep in the Bread Aisle" isn't completely horrible like I assumed it would be, it shows just what I knew all along: Asher Roth truly is nothing special. Aside from two songs, the album is completely redundant; he spends so much time trying to appeal to the college kids and the mainstream crowd that he doesn't even care that he looks like a joke to most Hip-Hop heads. As I mentioned before, the potential as a storyteller is there, but he has to realize that and build on it before I can take him seriously. Unfortunately, he probably won't, and just continue to ride on the coattails of Eminem and the Beastie Boys until his 15 minutes of fame are up. Bottom line, "Asleep in the Bread Aisle" is a delightfully bland record that proves that the White Rapper Curse is, sadly enough, alive and well.
FINAL RATING: 2 Stars
Track listing: 1. Lark on My Go-Kart (2 Stars) 2. Blunt Crusin' (1 Star) 3. I Love College (2 Stars) 4. La Di Da (2 Stars) 5. Be By Myself feat. Cee-lo (4 Stars) 6. She Don't Wanna Man (1 Star) 7. Sour Patch Kids (2 Stars) 8. As I Em feat. Chester Fresh (3 Stars) 9. Lion's Roar feat. Busta Rhymes and New Kingdom (1 1/2 Stars) 10. Bad Day feat. Jazze Pha (1 Star) 11. His Dream (5 Stars) 12. Fallin' (4 1/2 Stars)
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