Tone Def!

This is the first song from Asher Roth’s new mix-tape, Seared Foie Gras With Quince & Cranberry. For those of you that don’t know, Asher broke out last year largely based on the hit I Love College. He was both hated and loved for various reasons. People who hated him tended to be critics and think he was kind of phony and his rapping frat boy like. He was generally liked by others. Olivia Munn, for one, often expressed that song was her favorite of last year for example.

I liked his debut album, Asleep In the Bread Aisle for a couple simplistic reasons. Mainly that the record was itself simplistic. The production was fairly tight but it was never over reaching and over the top. It stayed within the limits of a “safe” record executed well. I will also never claim to be a lyricist and usually lyrics wash right over my head. That album was done in a way so the lyrics stood out and were approachably simplistic. That’s not to say that they were boring or didn’t have meaning, just that generally Asher wasn’t trying to rap War and Peace or use endless metaphors. It was a positive album that didn’t contain much of the negativity that plagues current hip hop.

Anyways this video and song continue that trend. The lyrics seem to have been tightened up and the production keeps its catchy simplicity. I love how the video starts out as a homage to his last album with him literally asleep in the bread aisle. I love how he admits that he’s not there, but he’s working on his oratory skills. The opening line brings with it a sense of modesty when he says, “I really love how it starts out saying one day I hope to say something impressive.” Also, as I’m primarily a sports blogger, I was thoroughly entertained by his referencing the Giants winning the pennant, Gilbert Arenas and the locker room gambling as well as referencing Revis from the Jets as a metaphor for defense. All in all, I’m looking forward to listening to the rest of his mixtape, which you can download for free at his website.