Even though he stated that his Def Jam debut would finally drop this January, it’s looking less and less likely that Asher Roth’s as-of-yet untitled project will make its release date. Now, in a recent interview with Bootleg Kev, the “I Love College” rapper discusses his options in the independent scene.

Asher explained that he’s happy that artists like Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore are finding success without sacrficing their integrity. Although he didn’t say whether he was planning to leave Def Jam in favor of the indies, he believes that the independent route gives artists like himself a dual sense of financial security and artistic control.

“All I want to say is, myself, these cats and everybody watching this stuff, I think we’ve seen the recent success of just kinda doing it yourself, believing in yourself and believing in good people,” he said. “With that being said, it’s great for me to sit back and see cats like Kids These Days…and Chuck [Inglish] and that sticking to what you really believe in paying off and getting that reinforcement from the fans. Look at Kendrick [Lamar], Macklemore – these are perfect examples of people who stick to what they believe in…and people are showing up now [to support]. That’s huge for artists like us…we have a problem with authority and it was bummer when people were trying to control what we do for so long, and now it’s just great for a lot of artists and fans.”

He continued, “To me, when I first came, everything happened so fast, I was too dependent to a fault. Being on a major label – unless you’re activated and you’re like – if you’re Rihanna [or] Justin Bieber, you’re good, you have all the resources in the world. But otherwise, you’re independent.

Check out the full interview below.

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