Review Summary: Pabst & Jazz is Asher Roth’s self redemption arc.
When entering into the 2010’s, Hip-Hop saw a wave of up and coming artists that generated their own buzz through the mixtape scene. The beginning of this decade saw artists who were unknown at the time, like ASAP Rocky, Freddie Gibbs and Kendrick Lamar, among others, giving out their early records for the price of free and marketed as mixtapes. A hip-hop scene typically associated with being littered with amateur compilations of b-sides and throwaway freestyles saw a shift as artists used the free mixtape medium to establish a fanbase, releasing albums without major labels. Unlike the aforementioned rappers being relatively unknown in the mainstream at this time, Asher Roth was already given a short spot in the limelight after the release of his viral song “I Love College”. So, where does Roth play into all this? Roth’s
Pabst & Jazz is his attempt at a change in musial direction, and what better way to experiment with a rebrand than to release it as a mixtape? The resulting project is his response to critics that referred to his brand of hip-hop as mediocre and lacking substance.
On
Pabst & Jazz, Blended Babies handle the majority of production. The production duo provide jazzy rhythms and smooth bass lines over traditional boom-bap beats.
Pabst & Jazz is feature heavy with a slew of posse cuts throughout, “Insurance” being one of the better ones with a slick chorus from ZZ Ward. Asher Roth approaches tracks like “More Cowbell” or “Choices” with playful flows and wordplay. The direction taken here is night and day when compared to his major label debut
Asleep In The Bread Aisle.
Though some tracks can be less memorable than others, Blended Babies keep the sounds in line with the theme which in turn gives us a more focused and consistent release from Asher Roth. Roth’s failure to maintain the consistency displayed here and translate that to his major label releases only adds him to the list of rappers, like Big KRIT, whose mixtapes were of better quality than their major label releases. Nonetheless,
Pabst & Jazz is Asher Roth’s self redemption arc.
Recommended Tracks: Insurance, Common Knowledge, More Cowbell, Dope Shit
