By way of illroots

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Photo: illroots

Asher Roth - "Outside" [LISTEN/DOWNLOAD]

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Photo: Universal Motown

The BX spitter immediately got the crowd's attention with her rapid-fire lyrics, which surprised the onlookers so much that she started the intro record from the top. The femcee continued to impress, as she followed up with an a cappella verse to display her lyrical prowess. AP followed Nina B, with Jon Connor closing this portion of the show out. Connor kicked a few verses from his latest project The Blue Album and immediately made sure that the crowd knew that Michigan had invaded New York City. The Flint MC's poignant verses won the crowd over and served as a great transition to the second half of the show.

Maybach Music's, Triple C's took the stage to open the second half. Two-thirds of the group, Gunplay & Torch, spit a few records from Self Made Vol. 1 as well as Rozay's Ashes to Ashes mixtape. Following the MMG portion of the show was Cam'Ron protege Vado. The UN representative was clearly a crowd favorite and seemed to put on a full show. The Harlem MC performed hits from his Slime Flu mixtape series, including "Hey Muma" "Speaking Tongues" & "Ok Yall."

Ace Hood kicked off the Def Jam segment, opening up with his verse from DJ Khaled's "Welcome To My Hood" remix. The crowd anticipated a high energy performance from Ace, since he's known for his very gritty, uptempo sound. The Florida MC seemed to approach the show as if it were just a favor for someone and he wasn't being compensated for his performance. Being that there was no charge for the general public, this could have very well been the reason for the lack of energy in Ace's set. While he did display his lyrical skill by kicking a few a capella verses, the energy that was expected never showed.

Asher Roth's set was a bit different from his Def Jam co-d's. Roth approached the show in a free-spirit sort of way, as he repeatedly told the crowd how happy he was to be there performing. The Pennsylvania MC even went into the crowd to kick his verses, covering all sections of the packed theater. However, it seemed as though many of the fans didn't know how to receive Roth, as they seemed unfamiliar with his music or they weren't sure what to make of his appearance. Off of first glance Roth appears to be someone you'd expect to hear almost any genre of music from, other than Hip-Hop. That assumption lasts only until he begins to rhyme and you notice that he does possess the ability to "move the crowd." The Def Jam MC did a good job with all things considered and hopefully won some fans over.

The highlight of the night was definitely 2 Chainz' performance. Similar to his last show in NYC, the trapstar gave 110 percent from beginning to end. He began his show by acknowledging the allotted time that he was requested to perform in (five to ten minutes), but he informed the crowd that he was going to give them a full show. The ATLien kicked several hits off of his latest mixtape T.R.U. REALigion such as "Spend It," "K.O.," and "Riot." The former Playaz Circle MC also took it back to the beginning of the 2 Chainz era with a rendition of "Duffle Bag Boyz."

Overall it was a pretty good show with all things considered. Hopefully the next time Ace Hood performs in NYC, he's being properly compensated and he'll put on the show that his fans know him for. Continue on for pictures from the event courtesy of William Gates Photography.

Continue on for flyer and tour date information.

Weds, February 15th: New York, NY – Hearst Tower (Social Media Week)

Thurs, February 16th: New York, NY – Greenhouse – DJ Set with Wreckonize

Sat, February 18th: Chapel Hill, NC – Club Pulse (UNC Chapel Hill vs Clemson)

Sun, February 19th: Iowa City, IA – Blue Moose (University of Iowa vs Indiana)

Weds, February 22nd: Syracuse, NY – Westcott Theater (Syracuse vs USF)

Fri, February 24th: Columbus, OH – Skullys(Ohio State vs Wisconsin)

Weds, February 29th: Lafayette, IN – La Parranda Night Club (Purdue vs Penn State)

Fri, March 2nd: Louisville, KY – Expo Five (Gerorgia vs Kentucky) (Not on sale yet)

Sat, March 3rd: Milwaukee, WI – The Rave (Marquette vs Georgetown)

Thurs, March 8th: Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater (Big 12 Tournament)

Sat, March 10th: Missoula, MT – Rail Jam

Sun, March 11th: San Antonio, TX – Alzafar Shrine Auditorium (Sneakerpalooza)

Sat, March 17th: Tempe, AZ – The Clubhouse

Fri, March 23rd: Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution Live (Not on sale yet)

Sat, March 24th: Nashville, TN – Ariel (Elite (Not on sale yet)

Sat, March 31st: New Orleans, LA – Howlin Wolf  (Final Four)

"Always consistently maintain yourself and be the same person," said Pecas. "Don't try to change or adjust your personality...don't try and be something that you're not, always stay who you are, and always be honest with people. I believe in karma, and good things will come to you, as you give good things to others."

In addition to these helpful hints, Pecas also ran down the list of Def Jam artists set to release projects this year, which included Nas, Rick Ross, Kanye West, and many more.

Def Jam's Sr. Vice President Shawn "Pecas" Costner sat down with the good folks over at Al Lindstrom, for "#DefJamBack" Part 1. Pecas discusses the assumption that Def Jam was moving away from its Hip-Hop acts and focusing more on R&B. He also speaks on the beef between labelmates Jeezy & Rick Ross, and his stance on the situation. 

"Rick Ross & Young Jeezy are both grown men, and there's enough money in their prospective worlds of what they do," said Pecas. "So I try and take that energy and put it towards making Big Sean a bigger artist...I don't really get involved."

The exec also spoke about Asher Roth, Pusha T, and much more.

A newly minted Def Jam signee, Ash Roth gives us a visual to his latest release off of his new mixtape, Pabst & Jazz.  Roth takes us on a journey through the, ahem, streets of Philly, as only he can.

Ash Roth is back with his latest offering, Pabst & Jazz.  As one of Hip Hop's most slept on MC's; Ash gives you 16 tracks to change your minds, enlisting the help of A$AP Rocky, Pac Div, Action Bronson, Phil Ade, and more...

Tracklist & Download after the jump...

1. Pabst and Jazz (feat. Hassani Kwess; Kenny Keys) [Prod. Blended Babies]
2. Choices (feat. Action Bronson) [Prod. Blended Babies]
3. In The Kitchen [Prod. Chuck Inglish]
4. Useless (feat. Pac Div) [Prod. Blended Babies]
5. More Cowbell [Prod. Blended Babies]
6. Bastermating (feat. A$AP Twelvy, Chip Tha Ripper, YP) [Prod. Blended Babies and Chuck Inglish]
7. Common Knowledge [Prod. Blended Babies]
8. Golden Midas (feat. Boldy James, Nico Segal; Greg Landfair Jr. of KTD;) [Prod. Blended Babies]
9. Insurance (feat. ZZ Ward, Rockie Fresh, Blu;) [Prod. Blended Babies]
10. Hard Times (feat. Kids These Days, Casie Veggies;) [Prod. Blended Babies]
11. Ampersand [Prod. Blended Babies]
12. Get By (feat. Nico Segal of Kids These Days;) [Prod. Blended Babies]
13. Not Meant 2 Be (feat. Nathan Santos;) [Prod. Blended Babies]
14. Running Away (feat. Nathan Santos;) [Prod. Blended Babies]
15. Charlie Chaplin (feat. Phil Ade', GLC, Thurz; ) [Prod. Blended Babies]
16. Dope Isht [Prod. 1500 or Nothin]

Download Here