“Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry” Asher Roth (2010 Mixtape) [Mitch Nick’s Pick]

This week I wanted to share one of my favorite pieces of hip-hop: “Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry” by Asher Roth. This is a mixtape I stumbled on when it was released on Datpiff in 2010 and it has been in my rotation ever since. I truly believe everyone should give this a try at least once. I turned a lot of people onto it through the years and a number of them told me the same thing which was that the first listen they thought it was okay but then something told them to give it another go sometime later when they became hooked. I feel like it has some of the highest replay value I’ve ever encountered – but more on that later.

Up until this mixtape, I hadn’t been a huge Asher Roth fan. A lot of people had bumped some part of his debut album Asleep in the Bread Aisle and everyone heard “I Love College” which I find is what he is still known for. However, Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry was him almost trying to shake the shackles away from that title to get back to his roots as an artist. He used classic beats from well-known producers like J Dilla, 9th Wonder, RZA, Kanye and more. DJ Wreckineyez also put an awesome touch of blending the songs together so if you listen to the tape correctly, it is difficult to hear where the songs change. I like to listen to albums front to back, so I really appreciate the smooth listening experience. There are also a number of features which add a nice touch to the overall feel of the tape and provide some variation.

The tape just bumps and Asher Roth’s lyricism and flow are unprecedented. However, my favorite part of this project has been its insane replay value. I hear something new each time I listen to it and over the years I could watch a movie, read a book, learn something new, or strike up a conversation with someone and suddenly understand a reference or a line from the tape. This sort of thing has definitely happened more for this album than others and I would argue that it’s not simply due to the number of plays. It appears that Asher Roth did a pretty good job of observing things around him to incorporate into his rhymes. There is a lot of content and depth to his references that will take time and a few plays to get – but don’t worry, it’s not overly dense or requires intent listening to fully understand.

Asher Roth has put out a number of tracks here and there over the years, but he shied away from the fame he once had. Perhaps due to some label troubles and industry woes. I would say, though, that his music has undergone some growth in artistry over the years and it appears that he is still active in Philly here and there. Don’t sleep on this tape!