There are plenty of reasons why hip-hop shouldn’t work for the suburban, blunt touting college kid we know as Asher Roth. But with his debut Asleep In The Bread Aisle, he fights hard for his place on a stage where the tables are turned – HE is the minority, and he’s got to prove his worth if he intends to stay afloat. By the time this album was released, Roth had generated enough industry buzz to enlist the help of recognizable hip-hop hitmakers like Cee-Lo, Busta Rhymes, and Keri Hilson. The album isn’t groundbreaking and far from a classic, but it’s an excellent start for the kid that some might consider the underdog.

Despite its range of topics, Asleep In The Bread Aisle is not a concept album. Rather, it’s a forum for the talented Mr. Roth to show off his lyrical capacity and his ability to kick a nice flow. The lead single, I Love College adequately sets the tone for the voice of today’s college campus discussing the album’s prevalent topics of life, sex and marijuana. Lyrically speaking, the wordplay is at its best on the playfully metaphoric Lark on My Go-Kart and the sex-driven Lion’s Roar (feat. Busta Rhymes), which is one of my personal favorites. Then there are more groove-heavy sensitive and reflective songs, which include La Di Da, Fallin’, and His Dream, the latter of which is another of the album’s standout tracks. takes a glance into Asher’s past to establish his foundations in one of the album’s more reflective songs, Tactfully, Roth addresses the comparisons to fellow rapper Eminem on As I Em, featuring Chester French: "Cause we have the same complexion and similar voice inflection its easy to see the pieces and to reach for that connection..." If you purchased one of the first 5000 copies of the album, roll up the special clear, smoke-able wrapper and enjoy the ride on Blunt Cruisin’, a humorous and quite literal ode to the increasingly popular and controversial natural gratification agent.

I’m not convinced that Roth is more than the marketing pawn of a record label. Sure his lyric game is on point given his choice of content, but I question his ability to actually say something meaningful. His Dream starts to push that envelope slightly, and I’m counting on his future projects to break better ground. As many of us have realized, college days swiftly pass and that gimmick will run its course. Still, this is a noteworthy debut from Roth, the great white hype with a yearning to stay green…

Sound-Savvy officially rates Asleep In The Bread Aisle with 4 out of 5 platinum headphones.

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Video: Asher Roth - I Love College
Video: Asher Roth feat. Cee-Lo - Be By Myself