[.ca] Ascension

pep gets mad love....:
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!!!!!!!!

fantastic:
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.

Why Not Use Domino?:
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.

Hip Hop at its finest......:
Instaed of writing a long review--- BUY THE ALBUM!!! SUPPORT REAL HIP HOP. AND CHECK OUT TRACK 7-TAMI. YOU WON'T BE DISAPOINTED.

Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, .... Pep Love:
Finally some lyrics with content worth listening to. Pep has a distinct original style which flows nicely over the beats. This is a cd you put in the player and just listen. If you want great beats with off the hook lyrics, and music u can just relax to, this is a must in your collection.

• Grime and Grit - Pep Love,
• Living Is Beautiful - Pep Love,
• Grind - Pep Love,
• Fight Club - Pep Love,
• U.S./U.S. Interlude - Pep Love
• Onus (What You Are) - Pep Love
• T.A.M.I. - Pep Love
• My Energy - Pep Love
• Ascension - Pep Love
• Act. Phenom - Pep Love
• New Religion - The Grouch, Pep Love
• Pacific Heights - Pep Love
• Karma (The Snake Charmer) - Pep Love,
• If You Can't Beat 'Em - Casual, Pep Love
• Different - Pep Love
• Black People (Melanin Magnetic) - Pep Love