It's been a long road back for Asher Roth, and he's not exactly out-of-the-woods yet. Plenty has changed in the time it took him to struggle his way to the top, and then fall right off. He's no longer the only post-Eminem white rapper, and he's no longer operating in a scene where being white and rapping is novel. Once a Clear Channel and blog favorite, Mr. Roth is fighting to get his relevancy back. Is "Party Girl" the record that'll do it?
Now let's consider what I'm gonna call the "Odd Factors". First off, the sample Oren Yoel used is from an Eddie Murphy chart success from 1985, which means Def Jam is employing the Diddy-tactic of hoping that a hook is catchy enough to be a hit twice in 30 years. Secondly, there's the weirdness of hearing Asher Roth and Meek Mill on a record together. Why is this weird? Let's just call it generational differences. Both blew up on the blogs, but they're from entirely different eras. Asher got big back when there was a distinction between a blog rapper and any other type of rapper, and thusly has been around a while, stuck in this strange career limbo that this record might expel him from. Meek Mill? He's as current as it gets, perhaps the most current up-and-comer, whatever the fuck that means.
"Odd Factor" number 3? Try this little mind-bender on for size. Asher Roth, with his content and melanin levels, helped pave the way for Mac Miller to exist, but if Mac Meezy hadn't had a number 1 album, Asher Roth never would've gotten his Wale rights picked up by Def Jam. Wale rights? That's a major label second chance. Try and keep up. The verse in question, and discussion, after the jump.
My girl, she drinks and smokes
Then she goes to fashion shows
Forth and back, back and forth
Takes the (uh) just like a pro
Try to keep on up with her but really why bother
Girl's a super hottie plus she parties way harder
Still looking great with no make-up on
Keep going strong 'til the break of dawn
Eighth to the face, take it straight no chase
When she stray from the pace ain't a damn thing wrong
Mother, sister, brother they insist on drinking water
But she's sipping on some liquor, Janice Dickinson had taught her well
Hammered, you can hardly tell
Stammered, but she hides it well
Hands up in the air and yells party all the time
She dance around me in her thong
Sing along, favorite song
Rip a shot, hit the bong
Going all night long
(starts at 0:18)
A lot of people's first reaction to this song was probably something along the lines of "oh, I guess he ditched the grown-up act and is gonna see if the beer pong route has any more mileage on it". That's the way the internet (and the world) works, everybody's a fucking cynic. But to call Asher 2012 the same as Asher circa "I Love College" is just wrong.
He's grown up, in a lyrical sense, and in the sense that he's not a kid anymore. Major label troubles and celebrity vapidity can do that to you, I'd imagine. Seared Foie Gras... and Pabst & Jazz, apart from being two fantastic mixtapes that didn't get the attention of his debut, show an artist coming into his own and messing around with what he can offer creatively. Here, on this song, we see the fruits of that labor. His cadence is tight and masterful, and the verse is very well-written.
But still, he's talking that same "I wish I could tape parties shit", isn't he? I don't think we should be fooled by the on the surface similarities. Sure, there's the word "party" in the title, and plenty of references to weed and alcohol. But this doesn't sound or read like an ode to a dope-ass chick (leave that to Meek Mill), and it's not a heavy-handed indictment either. It's more than that. It's a layered observation of character, a breaking down of an insecure girl who masks her perceived shortcomings by acting in a way that she feels is cool. You're hearing a young dude letting the world into the absolute craziness that unfolds around him.
Asher's grown up a bit. He's become jaded, even. So instead of labeling this as the same-old, same-old, or label tomfuckery, dig deeper. Understand that you're hearing a talented artist that's full of potential, an artist that has to play the game to get where he wants to go. "Forth and back, back and forth" applies to more than just the drunken girl.
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