"Are you high yet?” It’s a little after noon on a Tuesday and based on what Asher Roth has already told us about how he likes to spend his days, it seems like a reasonable first question.

“Nah,” he replies, laughing off the question but copping to the likelihood. “I get in these little ‘detox’ modes and I’m starting a little not-till-the-sun-goes-down routine. You gotta stay focused.” At this time in his life, that’s probably a good idea. Even after recently graduating from MySpace hype to the mixtape circuit and getting his first major-label deal, the 22 year-old is hardly at a stage where he can kick his feet up. Many emcees get to this point and never become more than a catalogue of hot freestyles on other people’s hit records. Roth doesn’t intend on becoming one of them so he’s hard at work making his still-untitled album more than just an hour of jokey punch-lines.

“It’s important to me how I come out with my music [on the first album] because that’s how people are gonna portray you for the rest of their lives. It’s gonna be tough to win them over if you want to change directions,” he tells us. His Greenhouse Effect mixtape with DJ Drama and Don Cannon was all fun and games but he’s ready to show us why Steve Rifkind calls him “Hip Hop’s Bob Dylan.” His official debut isn’t scheduled to drop until February, but fresh out of a Virginia studio with Nottz, he confidently explains his vision for the project. With a clear head and clear eyes, Asher Roth talks to HipHopDX about Internet buzz, managing his image and of course, rapping for Jay-Z.

HipHopDX: Especially to people outside of Philly, it seems like you’ve had a quick rise to the head of your class. Would you characterize it that way?
Asher Roth: I mean… I guess so. To be honest with you, I try to stay away from the whole media thing because there’s nothing positive that comes out of that. You’re either gonna get a big head from the compliments or get mad at what people say. People have been very receptive, but as far as where I stand on the latter; I’m not sure.

DX: Your success thus far has very much been the product of building Internet hype. Do you feel like you would’ve had the same opportunities ten years ago when that wouldn’t have been possible?
Asher Roth: Who knows, man? The online marketing and using the MySpace and Facebook to my advantage is really what’s kinda catapulted me in a way that you could call “overnight.” I don’t know if I’d have the same success… I think good music is gonna shine through regardless but it might’ve taken a little bit longer.

DX: On the other hand, Wikipedia (another user generated site) has your article considered for deletion because people are complaining that they don’t know who you are [note: the page was in fact taken down the next day]. It’s so easy to get on the ‘net and say you’re a rapper, so how do you plan to separate yourself from the pack of random kids with MySpace Music pages?
Asher Roth: That’s the truth… everybody’s a rapper. I think there’s a lot that I bring to the table as an artist in as far as creativity, but on the same token, a lot of people don’t know who I am. As far as I’m concerned, I haven’t done shit. There’s a lot, a lot, a lot of work to be done; I just got started.

DX: Do you feel like the new age of democratized content is making the music better or worse?
Asher Roth: It’s definitely arguable but there’s a lot of trash out there. The filter systems really have to go up not because like you said, anybody can pretty much put up a MySpace page and go, “Yeah, I’m a rapper now.” We definitely have to be more careful; we really gotta be more selective now. It definitely has its pros though because some of the most talented people in the world could never get heard before. We don’t want to exploit it to the point where everybody’s considered a rapper but it’s those few that make it that make it real special.

DX: You’ve come out in the same vein as Kanye and Lupe who’re making “regular guy rap” about paying bills and going to class. That’s been successful for some but it’s still a gamble. Was there ever a temptation for you to try to mix in something more “gangsta” since that’s often what people like?
Asher Roth: Nah, when I first started rapping it was pretty much songs about our girlfriends and going to house parties and dancing. I could never really rap about stuff I didn’t know. It’s always cool to tell a story, don’t get me wrong, but me personally, I can only speak for myself.

DX: Do you still remember your first rhyme?
Asher Roth: [Laughs] I was in a battle with my friend where they used to do a Hip Hop workshop after school and when I was like 16. One day everyone was like, “Battle Dan, battle Dan.” and I got up there and said “I’m Asher Roth and I’m the best/ do you shop at Ross or do you 'dress for less'?” The funny thing was I was shopping at Ross but everyone laughed and thought it was funny. The real humor is based on truth. The stuff that you rap about on an every day basis, that’s what people relate to. It humanizes me and makes me approachable. I don’t wanna be unapproachable. Continued on page 2 »