Billboard Presents: Asher Roth & Blended Babies - "Tangerine Girl" (Federal Prism Records)

Despite the fact, or maybe because, he looks like a modern day hippie burn-out, Asher Roth is easily one of the most talented and criminally under-rated emcees in all of the Boom-Bap land. While I've been a fan since "I Love College," I'll be amongst the first to admit that Roth's mixtapes have always been infinitely stronger than his lone radio-friendly album, Asleep In The Bread Aisle (2009). But with that said, all of Asher Roth's non-album projects have sufficiently spotlighted his lyrical progression and sense of zen-like calm, cool, and collectiveness during an ill-fated and now severed deal with Def Jam; Seared Foie Gras with Quince & Cranberry, RAWTH EP, Pabst & Jazz, and The GreenHouse Effect (Vol. 2) are therefore the missing creative links between Asleep In The Bread Aisle and his upcoming sophomore album, RetroHash. Although there's really no way of telling if it's even the same collection of songs, Roth's perpetually shelved second album was tentatively titled both The Spaghetti Tree and Is This Too Orange? during it's early creative process(es) between 2010-12. "People are like, 'Where have you been? What have you been doing?'" Asher Roth recently lamented to Billboard during an exclusive piece. "And I understand that I haven't been able to sell music in five years, because of everything that was happening... But I was still putting out music and working on my craft. I think, with RetroHash, even though it's going to be an official release, it's going to be much more of trying things." Following a "live listening session" at Blackheart Bar (SXSW) with The Pharcyde on March 15th and four quick-strike April dates, RetroHash will finally see a proper April 22nd wide-release on Dave Sitek's own Federal Prism imprint. Asher Roth additionally floated Billboard an exclusive stream of his new 90's Funk-Rap-leaning track, "Tangerine Dream," which was preceded by a hashword-unlockable secret-stream just a few days ago.