What’s your tie to the West Chester community? AR: West Chester is where I spent my time in college, and it ended up becoming my second home. I have made lifelong friends there, and it helped raise me; I had my first real job experience as a waiter at Kildare’s. Life takes you away sometimes, so you need to find a place that centers you, and West Chester is a very centering place for me. “I Love College” made you a star almost overnight. What was the transition like going from WCU to the cover of XXL? AR: It all happened so fast that there wasn’t really a transition. It felt like we went from house parties to playing House of Blues. We were literally just hanging out, then sud-
denly I was on the cover of a magazine. Me and the people around me had to figure out what we represented–bringing that suburbanlifestyle carelessness to hip hop and being unapologetic about it. Your first hit was a funny, fun-loving, upbeat party song, but since then you’ve recorded songs like “Dope Shit” that seem to rebel against that. Why? AR: I think that people have multiple sides to them–you don’t want to be a one-trick pony and say only one thing. I don’t want to lose the fun side, but I also have opinions. I don’t want to become a political rapper, but music for me is an outlet. You’re going to hear songs like “G.R.I.N.D.” and “Dope Shit”, but it’s always gonna be fun, accessible and digestible. Music is an outlet for speaking your mind–I don’t want to just use it to get rich. What’s the future hold for Asher Roth? AR: I don’t know, man. You’re gonna have to ask my mom about that, because she’s the fortune teller–she reads tarot cards. For me, it’s just about staying consistent and having fun. We want to perform live, so the Fall clASHic Tour goes through the month of November, and we’ll be at The Note on November 23. We also have a new album coming out at the top of the year. Really, I’m all about challenging myself while still enjoying the ride.
Asher Roth
(n.) hip hop asherothmusic.com november 2012 | thewcpress.com
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