Trading the prospect of fame and fortune for a quiet life lived on his own terms, Asher Roth aims to educate and entertain with his carefully crafted rap music. Sharing a one-of-a-kind new project, a concept album created in collaboration with dozens of producers over the internet, Asher drops The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 3. Continuing a series that started under DJ Drama‘s Gangsta Grillz moniker, Greenhouse Effect Vol. 3 finds the Philadelphia native rediscovering his love for the art of rapping, weaving a complicated “rap opera” storyline around beats sourced from Twitch and Discord.
The story takes place at the “University of College,” where Asher is a professor of horticulture, who uses his expert growing skills to help his students produce a magical strain of cannabis. Professor Roth knows in his heart that his weed can save the world, but he must protect it from being used by those with nefarious motives. GEV3 is playful, and endlessly creative, complete with clever wordplay, vivid storytelling, Philly sports references, allusions to Asher’s previous work, and helpful plant-growing advice. The mixtape features appearances from guests like Tracee Shade, Harbyn, Pow, Marcus Smith, Mickey Factz, and more, who pop in to play various characters in the operatic story.
Asher Roth explains the story behind GEV3 in his own words: “The tape is a rap opera, of sorts, about a professor at the University of College who is teaching horticulture. A few students, looking at his long hair and birkenstocks, assume he can teach them how to grow pot. So he does. Eventually, the Greenhouse gets broken into by a few kids who steal the grow to sell it but ultimately get caught by a police officer–who’s a former student of the Professor’s class who could never learn how to grow. The pot (retrohash) being grown is actually magical and creates a portal to the World of Abundance, but only when smoked by a kind soul. If smoked by a bad apple, the world as we know it would erode.”
The project’s core theme about the triumph of cooperation over greed is reflected by the its unique creative origin. Greenhouse Effect Vol. 3 grew out of a pandemic experiment, created through a fully-virtual collaborative process that lasted months. Every Wednesday, Asher would share acapellas on his Discord, and inspired by his rhymes, fans would create their own instrumentals. Asher would listen to the submissions live on Twitch, and judge his favorites. The 20-week experiment ultimately became GEV3, with 15 songs created by Asher and 12 different producers. Last week, Asher shared three more songs from the GEV3 sessions, entitled the GEV 3-Piece, along with a stylish video for lyrical exercise “Snazzy Kat.”
Though his biggest hit reflected the perspective of a student, Greenhouse Effect Vol. 3 bursts with Asher’s passion for teaching, talent for artist development, love for collaboration, and belief in the importance of self expression. Many of the producers on the project had never placed a song before, and Asher took the time to teach them about royalties and publishing splits. He is determined to help these producers develop careers of their own, and to teach them about the music industry’s mysterious ways. Last weekend, Asher brought many of the album’s producers to his outdoor venue Sunflower Philly for a live listening party, marking the first time he and his producers met in person.
The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 3 is available everywhere via RetroHash, Asher’s own boutique record label.
Buy/Stream The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 3: https://asherroth.ffm.to/
The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 3 tracklist:
- Intro To Horti
- Learn To Grow ft. Tracee Shade, HARBYN & Pow (prod. by SHORT BUSS 13)
- Growing Pot Now
- Quid Pro Grow ft. Marcus Smith (prod. by Baylor Beats)
- Lapis Lazuli (prod. by B Like Brett)
- Bloom Phase (prod. by Young Cab)
- Profit Off Pot ft. Mickey Factz (prod. by Heather Grey)
- Charlamagne (prod. by SHY EAR MUSIC)
- Aw Sheesh ft. A2z & Code Will (prod. by Monokey, Aus)
- Brown Nose (prod. by Aus)
- HIGH PD ft. Code Will & Blvff (prod. by SHORT BUSS 13)
- Bad Apple Magic
- Actions & Misdeeds
- The Other Side ft. Blvff, Code Will, Pow, Tracee Shade & Harbyn (prod. by Zomb.)
- Greenery (prod. by Moss Dub)
© 2021, Seth "Digital Crates" Barmash. All rights reserved.
