S. Samuel
Rapper Asher Roth recently discussed his problems with Def Jam and why he has learned to abide to the iconic's label's strict album release techniques.
According to Ash, the label has no interest in rushing out music and is most interested in a project getting the most promotion as possible upon its release.
“I would like it to come out by the end of the year,” Roth said in an interview. “It’s like all these rules, all these unspoken rules. It’s like, ‘Oh, we’re not going to drop something in the fourth quarter, because if I drop it December 18, the whole world resets on the New Year, so you’re only getting like 12 days of real promotion until like budgets and all this weird stuff resets. You might as well just drop in January.’ … I’ve always broken my music on the Internet. ‘I Love College’ was a MySpace record before anything else. So I’ve always used the Internet to my advantage, so it’s tough when someone says, ‘Hey, no, hold up. Wait, wait, wait.’ Because the Internet waits for no one. … I wouldn’t have changed anything because I’ve learned so much from my experience. … Just understanding that life isn’t fair, and then you have to see your obstacles and go ahead and overcome them.” (Sways Universe)
Back in August, Roth revealed changing the title of his upcoming sophomore album.
“We have a new album coming out, obviously with the music business and the industry being in the way that it is and the shape that it is, we’re just kind of dealing with those strings. Trying to navigate those seas and point the ship in the right direction while also not really compromising character or compromising the art. … It’s tough. Obviously the initial title of the album was Is This Too Orange? and out of respect for Frank and the project he put together, he kind of beat me to the punch. Whatever, whatever. I just want to make sure we have an original idea. I don’t want any connotation or any comparisons or anything like that just simply off of a name. So we might have to start fresh from a name sake, maybe have the fans name it and we’ll see what’s up.” (By Any Means)
In January, Ash talked about not staying in the mainstream spotlight.
“We really had some issues and I really don’t want to use the word ‘politically,’ because that’s pushing the blame elsewhere. I definitely had some blame on myself with just being a jerk, and not cooperating, so to speak. We had some real issues with the powers that be,” Ash told radio host Bootleg Kev. “For about two years, we were pretty quiet on the mainstream and this is the information era. So, two years is a really long time, man. You should be gone, technicaly wiped away.” (Bootleg Kev)
Last November, the rapper dished out the details behind his Def Jam/SRC Records deal.
“We understand that Def Jam is ready to compete in a changing music business and a music business that’s changed drastically even since the last time I was out doing commercial music,” he said. “Def Jam has the mindset and resources to compete in this arena, and I know [SRC Records CEO] Steve Rifkind knows that. … From a historical standpoint, when they asked me if I wanted to be with Def Jam for these upcoming projects, it’s kind of a no-brainer. Major labels kind of get a bad rap — I think that if you can supply them with this new age school of content, content, content, and they’re willing to give you the freedom to do that using a major label strength and resources is a win-win.” (XXL Mag)
Check out Asher Roth’s interview below:
