By Steven Roberts
When I got back to my desk after interviewing Asher Roth for our MCs to Watch in 2009 series, my friend and co-worker Alex Shapiro came over to ask me how everything went. Alex is also from the suburbs of Pennsylvania, and had developed sort of a man-crush on Asher, once I put him on to his music. I told him to write a blog about said man-crush, but he refused. Instead, he wrote this letter, saluting Mr. Roth:
"That party last night was awfully crazy, I wish we taped it/ I danced my ass off and had this one chick completely —" Congratulations, Mr. Asher Roth, for winning the award for "Most Impossible Song to Get Out of My Head Since Nelly's 'Country Grammar.' " My co-worker Steven introduced me to your mixtape while writing his MCs to Watch in '09 piece, and I have had it on serious rotation since I downloaded it (legally from your Web site The Daily Kush, of course!). I don't know if it's because the music reminds me of my collegiate glory days when drinking stale beer from Solo cups and having leftover Taco Bell for breakfast was considered good living, or if it's because I am also a white, 23-year-old from Bucks County, PA, who used to freestyle in friends' basements during high school. Whatever it is, I've got much respect for you and your music, or, as it was so eloquently put in our news meeting this morning, I have a "man-crush" on you ...
Either way, after seeing your interview tape, watching the goofy videos on your Web site and hearing your description of my favorite Philly slang word, "jawn," I couldn't help but feel an immediate connection. It seems like you've got a genuine attitude as an MC and a realistic outlook on the rap world which, I think — combined with your skills — will bring you a lot of success; it already has and I hope it continues. So, I raise my red plastic pimp-cup to you, Asher Roth, and may you release an official album soon so I can sit back, listen to it and afterwards proclaim, "That jawn was hot!"