Customer Reviews

Ascension

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For those that dont know, or that have just returned from mars after staying there for at least 6 joints, PEP is a member of the infamous HIEROGLYPHICS crew. This is in itself is his first proper moment in the spotlight, although he has blessed us with memorable verses on CASUAL's 1st album, SOULS OF MISCHIEF's 1st album and on the entire HIEROGLYPHICS albums "3rd eye vision" and "full circle". The best way to descibe this album, and his style for that matter, is to say its "soulful, intelligent, uplifting, skilled, jazzy and original". Altogether there are 16 cuts on the album and for the most part they are all solid enough with about 12 standout jewels. The remaining 4 are ok, just not as good as the others. The best few are, in my opinion,
"living is beautiful", "the grind", "fight club", "us", "tami", "ascension", "act phenom" and the list could go on. Well worth the money and time you'll spend listening to this masterpiece AGAIN and AGAIN. Dynamite!!!!!!!!

Perhaps two tracks on this CD are OK. The rest of them are absolutely brilliant. Pep Love is an amazing lyricist, with meaningful words presented with a flow unlike I've heard from any other MC, even his Hiero Emperium crewmembers.

Right away on this album, he shows his dynamic abilities. The first track, The Grim & Grit, is rugged with a heavy beat and minimal melody, and has a rugged lyrical style to match. The second track, Living is Beautiful, unlike the first track, is full of melodious instrumentals and a calmer flow by Pep. The whole album basically shows off his ability to be inovative in his rhyming abilities and superior vocabulary compared to most MCs; the production quality is also extremely top notch, with beautiful melodies and instrumental sampling to go along with strong beats. U.S., Pacific Heights, The Onus... probably three of my favorites, but they tend to vary daily when I drop it in my discman once again. It's hard to say this, but in my opinion Ascension is even better than Third Eye Vision and Deltron3030; I guarantee it, if you are a hip hop fan, whether you have heard Pep or Hiero before or not, this album will amaze you.

This album is incredible!! Highly recomended. Ascension is the album of 2001... hands down. hip hop fans...... don't sleep on this one.

Get the album.

Pep Loves debut is an amzing album in evryway. Each song is unqiue fresh and totaly tight. pep's Lyrics are off the hook, even mor ethen usual, and are insightful telling complex stories and commenting on the world. the albums starts of strong with "living is beautiful" which is all about valuing life and peps lyrics in this song set the craziness for the whole album. The beats are also very tight, the whole albums has a real power and heart to it , some of the best production can be seen on act. Phenom which has an unbeat et gritty beat that gets you going. This album is one of the greatest of all time in my opinion, amazing. This album just proves the power of hieroglyphics. A must have for hiphop fans, especially those who like amazing lyrics tight beats and unique albums

I have to represent for my hometown of Greenville, MS. first. This is my first review of so I hope heads feel it. Pep Love's "Ascension" is for ALL those heads who want deeper lyrics and bangin' beats. Even the thugs have to bow down on this project. And it's funny, this album dropped with no advertising--only through a newsgroup's praise of it did I even hear about it. People searching for good music will miss out, and it's a shame. In my opinion, Hip Hop music is so stagnant lyrically. Well, albums from KRS-One and Sticky Fingaz did 2001 justice. Now, we have our third with "Ascension". Expand your mind.

"Ascension" is incredible... I always dug HIERO and I knew this was going to be a good album but I always considered Pep a little SOFT compared to the other MCS.. I never thought his rhyme delivery seemed natural even though he was a talented lyricist.. well.. he proved me wrong.. he built his skills up! This album is incredible!!! It truly blew me away.. Even on the 2nd song LIVING IS BEAUTIFUL.. I was thinking to myself, "Damn.. this is amazing!!!" The LP is like a breath of fresh air...it has a sunny quality to it. There is also an intelligence to it. PEPLOVE's rhyme style and flow has improved in a major way... If any of you could not decide about this, give it a chance.. IT's incredible!!! There is a song which uses the same melody as "WE AINT FRIENDS" by Nature but Pep Love does a much better job! There's not one wack song.. Grime And Grit is great.. FIGHT CLUB is dope.. IT's ON US displays Pep Love's story telling skills... thought-provoking stuff! Act Phenom has an incredible beat! I only wish DEL was on it and the song "Crooked Angels" was on it. The production includes Domino, Aplus, Evidence of Dialated Peoples, Jaybiz, Toure, Mako, and Casual.. cameos are by Tajai, Major Terror, the grouch, and Casual. - Check it out.. it's an incredible album!!!

dam... wheew...pep love's solo debut is just about the best release i've ever heared from the intire hieroglyphics crew. man, this is the best release of 2001 PERIOD... its all over. After this? Theres nothing I can think of that can top this release. on another plane running the game is right... words can't describe... GO OUT AND GET IT!!!!!! NOW!!

Pep Love from the Hieroglyphics is an underrated and superb MC. I've heard great stuff from him on the two Hiero crew albums, but he takes it even further on "Ascensions." The thing is, I think he can do even better on a whole album, and this is one of the best albums I own! I think he can do better because there are a few songs ("Fight Club," "Karma," "If You Can't Beat 'Em") where he's cussing more and trying to act hard that just feel out of place on the album. The rest of the cd he's spitting enlightment, peace, and upliftment with one of the best vocabs in the business. Seriously! Maybe even stronger than Del's...

The album starts out well and "Living Is Beautiful" is just like it sounds and a memorable early moment. He reaches for something different with "Da Grind" but pulls it off in the end. Actually, I like the battle rhymes found in "Fight Club," but it still feels out of place on this cd. From there, tracks 5-12 are impeccable! "U.S." is uplifting and easily a standout, and "The Onus"(w/ Tajai) is a little brazen, but too soulful to be forgotten. I have to mention "T.A.M.I" which has a great message and one of the best beats. "My Energy" has the digital sounds, but I like it, and the title track is a winner. He rocks a party-beat on "Act.Phenom" without watering down the lyrics. "My Religion" with the Grouch(of the Living Legends) is lyrically superior as they compare emceeing to an underground religion and the Grouch spits one of the best verses I've ever heard from him. This track is still memorable despite a boring beat. "Pacific Heights" is a nice ode to Cali and the West Coast.

"The Snake Charmer" is a little bitter, but I like it though mostly because of the beat and how Pep rides it, despite the incomprehensible lyrics added by Major Terror. So that leaves "If You Can't Beat 'Em" as the only one I'm not feeling, but Casual actually comes nice on that one. "Different" is definitely old-school, and decent, but a little more raw than most of the album. He tops it all off with "Black People(Melanin Magnetic)" where he stands up for his race and drops 4 great verses over one of the tightest beats. By the way, I'm feeling most of the beats on "Ascensions." Some may say they're too boring, but I think they definitely fit with Pep's deep and mystical style. I think they're exactly how Pep wants them, invoking thought rather than dancing. There were a couple beats that failed, admittedly.

So this is one of the most essential albums you can have. Pep Love is undeniably one of the best MC's...not just today, but in all of Hiphop. Once he gets a few more albums under his belt, that will probably be unanimous. Some are saying that Pep has done better, and I can see that, but it still don't get much better than this! His flow may be a little stagnant, but Pep is one of the most learned and enlightened MC's with an extensive vocab, and I think in the end people will be praising him over his Hiero mate Del (IMO). He's just that good! In fact I would be calling him the best MC from the West Coast, if it weren't for some dude named Aceyalone. Ever heard him?

Pep Love's Ascension is a great CD and displays Pep's lyrical mastery and delivery. He can twist words and deliver lyrics in such a way that is witty and simplistic and yet ingenious. On tracks with fellow members of Heiroglyphics, Pep Love usually only has a few bars to rip on, and this full length album gives all a chance to peep Pep Love to the fullest. Though Pep rips it up, sometimes the beats are a little lackluster(though they are all good, not spectacular), and sometimes Pep falls a little short on delivery. I would still recommend this album to hip hop heads and Heiro fanatics alike. Worth the price, but not a must own. Tracks where Pep throws on the Hardcore front are kind of silly, the song "The Fight Club" feat. Dj Babu on the tables is good, but I think Pep Love delivers better spiritual and medaphorical lyrics. Overall, this is still a great buy.

It really fascinates me that a group that has a producer like Domino available to it fails to use him so frequently these days. I suppose you could call me a Hieroglyphics fan (I DO own all but one of the albums--and I will track down Extra Prolific soon--though living in Texas makes it kind of hard to catch shows), and I do like what there is to like on this album, but the one thing that really stands up and slaps me in the face about it is that the production just isn't quite up to snuff.

Don't get me wrong--Pep Love has an amazing flow, and he's got a degree of lyrical creativity that puts him in the general neighborhood of Del (though I don't think he'll be taking his crown any time soon), but he is not what I would call the perfect lyricist. He needs a little help from the beat that he's flowing over, if only because his voice tends to gravitate to a rather unspectacular monotone. He needs a little bit of ornamentation to help him really stand out, and I just don't see that from the majority of the tracks on this album.

Again, don't get me wrong--all of the music on this record is solid, and you probably won't be disappointed if you buy it. I just don't find that many tracks that really leap up at me. Fight Club is solid, and Act Phenom should be more than enough evidence to confirm what I have to say, but the rest of the songs sort of fade together for me. In general, the production on the tracks downplays the beats in favor of Pep's vocals. I understand why a producer might think that's a good idea (he does have a great flow), but records like '93 'til Infinity and Fear Itself show us that it's possible to use an elaborate beat to compliment a performer and make the entire track stand out. I just don't see that on most of these tracks, and it makes the experience a little less than I could have hoped for, particularly after being introduced to Pep Love on tracks like After Dark and No Nuts.

On the whole, this album is a healthy step above average. It breaks from a lot of the tired, hackneyed themes that haunt today's hip hop to at least try and address some different issues, and it's got a much smoother sound than you may have come to expect from your average hip hop artist. While the production decisions don't really make it pop for me, I should say that this disc still enjoys a regular spot in my rotation. Any Hieroglyphics fan should own this record, and if you're new to the group, this isn't a bad place to start at all.