Asher Roth

City Winery Presents Asher Roth live on May 13th at 7:00pm.

Asher Roth chronicles his decade-long discography through untold stories and unreleased music culminating in a can’t-miss evening at City Winery.

Asher Roth is an American rap artist born August 11, 1985. His suburban Philadelphia upbringing gives Roth a unique perspective and distinct voice in hip- hop. His distinguishable, clever and friendly flow found it's way to then-So So Def's VP of Marketing Scooter Braun via Roth's Myspace page. It was the wordsmith's rhymes about his loving family that ultimately peaked Braun's interest. 'It's funny how it's suddenly a luxury to have two married parents that are there for me in company,' Roth raps on 'Family Man.' With the word 'family' tattooed on his left wrist, Braun felt compelled to reach out to the upstart artist. 'I felt it in my stomach. I always trust my gut,' says Braun. The conversation led to Roth visiting Braun in Atlanta to meet with various friends and executives including Disturbing the Peace's Chaka Zulu. Which soon became a bidding war won by Loud Records (Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Akon, etc) President, Steve Rifkind. Upon meeting Asher, Rifkind signed the young emcee even though Asher had no professional recordings cut. "He just has something special. He has 'it,'"says Rifkind. In 2008, Roth moved to Atlanta to work closely with Scooter Braun. He became the first white emcee to release a Gangsta Grillz mixtape: 'Greenhouse Effect Vol 1' hosted by DJ Drama & Don Cannon. The recordings sparked excitement amongst the hip-hop community and landed him on 2009's XXL Freshmen cover. On the heels of its success, Roth launched to stardom [in 2009] with his timeless hit record "I Love College," which was featured on his debut album "Asleep in the Bread Aisle." The album reached #5 on Billboard supported by a nationwide tour with his contemporaries Kid Cudi, B.o.B. and Pac Div. Asher's crowd-pleasing performances led to an opening slot for Blink-182's reunion tour. The release also earned him two MTV Video Music Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Hip-Hop video while the New York Times dubbed him 'the most commercially viable white rapper since Eminem.' (http://bit.ly/nytimesywr) Following tour, Asher moved to New York City to continue to hone his craft and pull from the city's grassroots. His attempt to record his sophomore album with a major label was filled with setbacks as Universal Music Group was experiencing an executive overhaul resulting in Rifkind's SRC label folding while [manager] Scooter Braun began to focus his attention on newly acquired act, Justin Bieber. Roth dealt with the delays by releasing a slew of free music, including the fan favorite mixtape "Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry," hosted by DJ Wreckineyez and the "Rawth EP" with hip-hop producer Nottz Raw featuring 'Neighbor (Won't Cha Be) & Gotta Get Up (ft DA from Chester French). In 2011, Asher released a sampling of the sort of popular hip-hop he hoped would dispel the frat boy public persona that dogged him since "College." First "G.R.I.N.D." - a danceable ode to hard work and humanity in which he declared "The American dream, it's a pyramid scheme" and then "Last Man Standing" - a thinly veiled declaration of artistic independence, which was featured in Madden NFL 2012 and became the NFL's Thursday Night Football theme. The new music was embraced by critics but without the full backing of his label and radio it was not able to generate the commercial success of his earlier hits. This led to a full-time move to Los Angeles, California to start fresh. There the emcee found his new voice on his critically acclaimed "Pabst & Jazz" scored mainly by Los Angeles based production duo Blended Babies. Released as a free download, the album gave fans their closest look into Asher's heart and the fresh sound yearning to break out. In a last attempt to operate within the major label system, Asher signed briefly with legendary Def Jam Records His single "Party Girl" featuring Meek Mill was again embraced by the general public but was unable to gain any traction having no push from the label itself. Consequently, his tentatively titled sophmore-album 'Is This Too Orange' never came to fruition. In 2013, Asher penned an open letter (hyperlink) to fans explaining his decision to part ways with his major label. Citing poor timing and miscommunication, Roth thanked his fans for their undying support and released "Greenhouse Effect Vol. 2" in honor of their loyalty and in celebration of a new beginning. "Do your thing. Do it unapologetically. Don't be discouraged by criticism. You probably already know what they're going to say. Pay no mind to the fear of failure. It's far more valuable than success. Take ownership, take chances, and have fun. And no matter what, don't ever stop doing your thing," Roth advised. In 2014, Roth continued to push his own evolution with his first independent album release, "RetroHash." The album reached #8 on iTunes, #12 on Top R&B/ Hip Hop album charts and #45 on the Top 200. Though met with mixed reviews from fans and critics, "RetroHash" had an undeniably unique sound, drawing on traditional R&B influences as well as disco-era funk and the soulful rock of players like Prince. Fittingly, the album cover portrait was created by classic rock era icon John Van Hamersfeld. Though "RetroHash" pulled from the past for its musical influences, its release was 100% 2014 - offered only as a digital download and in limited release vinyl. Everything about the project further established Asher as an artist looking toward the future. Asher prides himself on his artistic authenticity. His unapologetic independence has opened the door for several of today's most successful hip-hop acts. Asher looks to continue on his self-blazed path as he builds on a devoted fan base and expands beyond music to produce a wide range of new media content.