I've never heard of Asher Roth, but this track, "The Lounge," showed up in my inbox this afternoon (props to kathryn) and I'm impressed: he has one of those smooth, simple flows that sounds great over this beat, which is on some easy-listening-throwback shit (think Typical Cats). The title of the song, "The Lounge," is fine, but after listening to the entire track I would have stuck with something more to the point, like: "What Makes a Rapper," which is the central question of Asher's piano-backed flow.

This kid is white, from Philly, and he's not ashamed of his background at all. The entire song is a discussion of just what it means to be an MC. From questions of street cred, to skin color and gender, Asher spends the track hunting for a definition of 'rapper.' It's all about identity and full of rhetorical questions, but the song doesn't take shots at anyone--after all, it's called "The Lounge," and the beat is anything but confrontational.

Asher Roth - The Lounge

Look for Asher Roth's upcoming mixtape with DJ Drama and Don Cannon, dropping Friday, June 13th. Man, that should be fucking fun!! (Drama, Cannon and Asher Roth on a mix together? I'm not even sure what to expect, but can't wait.)