Review: Asher Roth at Club DeVille SXSW

Video by Marcus of True Genius Requires Insanity on the new Couch Sessions x TGRI Youtube Channel
Out of all of the "Class of 2009" cats who have been talked about for the past year or so, Asher Roth might be the one with the most marketability. Hate if you must, but his record companies repositioning of his persona--from hard suburban street kid to your toked out college roommate was a brilliant move. The lineup at Club DeVille, which is a few blocks from The University of Texas, changed from  hipster heaven to Texas Frat Party in a matter of minutes before Roths's set. But dont' get it twisted, Roth is fierce on the mic, and his live show has convinced a skeptic like me that he's ready for the next level. During his set, he rips through his freestyle of Cannon from The Greenhouse Effect mixtape and yes, slides his way through Soul 4 Real's "Candy Rain," to the puzzlement of the college crowd, and the delight of old heads like yours truly. "I Love College," is already a pop hit, but Asher will still face the scrutiny that a white hip-hop artists brings.But from Friday night's performance I say that the dude has enough tools in his bag to prevail.