Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Pep Love: Ascension

Pep Love: Ascension

Item: Ascension
Rating: 0
Author: AAJ Staff

By AAJ Staff
November 1, 2001
View read count

The esteemed, albeit uneven Hieroglyphics crew have produced another underground star. Long time member Pep Love delivers a full-length rich in refreshing self-awareness and uplifting lyricism. Lofty as his aspirations and otherworldliness are, Pep Love maintains a balance between esoteric science dropping and straight ahead rhyme skills. His lyrics are not so obtuse as to render them useless, nor does he create an air of self-righteousness. Rather his self-conviction is what shines through on tracks like "A New Religion," "Ascension" and "My Energy." Pep keeps it down to earth on his ode to self-discipline "Grime and Grit," a celebration of Cali life, "Pacifc Heights," and the battle-oriented "The Fight Club."

Production for the most part is enjoyable without arresting attention. The beats rarely match up to the complexity of the subject matter, playing second fiddle to Pep’s rhymes and complementing them only in a rudimentary way. Ascension is a worthy album thanks to the intelligence and focus of its lyricism, providing material for self-reflection - a rare quality in current hip-hop.

Courtesy of BPM Magazine/ DJmixed.com

FOLLOW AAJ Staff and get notified whenever a new article published.
Various staff members.

Personnel

Pep Love

Album information

Title: Ascension | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Hieroglyphics Imperium

About Pep Love

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Class of 1969: Most Influential Ever...
< Previous

A Fireside Chat With Jason Moran
Next >

Become a Sustaining Member

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.