Asher Roth Asleep in the Bread Aisle

Although Asher Roth has single-handedly popularized a genre that could be called “upper-middle-class frat rap” and is on the cusp of hip-hop superstardom, don’t think everything is smooth sailing for him. On his debut, Asleep in the Bread Aisle, he lets us know that he’s got problems — too many women want to date him, the cops won’t let him smoke his weed in peace, and his jet-setting concert schedule is exhausting. Not buying it? Most listeners won’t. Though the Atlanta transplant’s flow is interesting enough, his colossal hit “I Love College” is endearingly piggish. And though he’s surrounded by hip-hop heavyweights (Cee-Lo Green and Busta Rhymes make appearances), Roth fails to portray himself as a compelling, rounded character on the disc. Who is Asher Roth, other than a regular white dude who wants to get drunk and get laid? At only 23, it’s quite possible he, himself, doesn’t know. 2 out of 5 stars