Asher Roth

American rapper Asher Roth emerged from the suburbs of Pennsylvania in the late 2000s, bringing a reflective style shaped by the influence of Jay-Z and Eminem. While still enrolled at college, he leveraged social media platforms to circulate his tracks, eventually breaking through commercially via the 2009 single “I Love College.” The track earned double-platinum certification and propelled his debut full-length, Asleep in the Bread Aisle, to a number-five peak on the U.S. charts. Preferring mixtapes and EPs over rapid album cycles, Roth waited until 2014 to issue his second studio project, RetroHash, followed by the 2020 release Flowers on the Weekend.

Raised in the small suburban town of Morrisville, Pennsylvania, just northeast of Philadelphia, he began writing rhymes as a teenager, focusing on subjects drawn from his own daily life and surroundings. His profile grew during his time at West Chester University, where he shared material online. Early projects included the 2005 EP Just Listen and the 2006 mixtape Believe the Hype. In his second year, he contacted Scooter Braun, who soon took on management duties; Braun and SRC Records executive Steve Rifkind then secured him a deal with Universal Music Group. Roth sustained momentum in the underground by dropping The Greenhouse Effect Mixtape, presented by Don Cannon and DJ Drama through the Gangsta Grillz series and offered as a free online download.

The 2009 arrival of “I Love College” marked his mainstream entry, the party-rap single climbing to number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100. Capitalizing on that success and the follow-up “Lark on My Go Kart,” he unveiled Asleep in the Bread Aisle, largely helmed by producer Oren Yoel. The gold-certified album invited parallels to Eminem—an idea Roth confronted directly on the track “As I Em”—and vaulted into the upper reaches of the U.S. Top Five. He marked the period by touring alongside Kid Cudi, B.o.B., and blink-182.

Subsequent years saw a steady stream of mixtapes and shorter releases, among them 2010’s Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry and a 2013 continuation of The Greenhouse Effect series. RetroHash arrived in 2014; although it fell short of his debut’s commercial heights, the set still cracked the Top Fifty and showcased appearances by ZZ Ward, Curren$y, Vic Mensa, and additional guests. Another extended interval passed, interrupted only by the 2016 EP Rawther, a collaboration with Nottz Raw and Travis Barker. Roth resurfaced in 2020 with Flowers on the Weekend, issued on his own Retrohash imprint and featuring the track “Way More Fun” alongside Lil Yachty.