Ascension is the first studio album by American hip hop artist Pep Love. It was released by Hiero Imperium on July 24, 2001.
Critical reception
Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club commented that "Pep Love is another Hieroglyphics original, even if his ambitious but flawed debut remains as notable for its unfulfilled promise as for its uneven execution." Matt Conway of AllMusic wrote, "While Ascension is a notch below the classic debuts delivered by Love's more established teammates, it is a critical building block, as it generates renewed faith in the Hiero collective." Del F. Cowie of Exclaim! praised his "commanding flow" and "rich vocabulary," stating that "he is nothing short of impressive, balancing an insistent philosophical edge with the urge to hand out verbal beat-downs."
In 2014, Paste placed it at number 6 on the "12 Classic Hip-Hop Albums That Deserve More Attention" list.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
Pep Love – vocals, art direction
Jay-Biz – production (1, 11), turntables (5, 10, 16) A-Plus – production (2, 3, 5, 6, 12, 13, 16) DJ Lex – turntables (3, 6, 8, 15, 16) Casual – background vocals (4), vocals (14), production (14), recording DJ Babu – turntables (4) Evidence – production (4), recording (4), mixing (4) Kurt Matlin – recording (4), mixing (4) Goapele – background vocals (5) Bicasso – production (5) Tajai – vocals (6), additional vocals (8), recording Eric McFadden – mandolin (6), guitar (6, 12) Mako – production (7, 9) Erika – additional vocals (8) Toure – production (8), recording Domino – production (10, 15) The Grouch – vocals (11) Major Terror – vocals (13) Moses Milliyons – djembe (16) Matt Kelley – additional recording, engineering, mixing Ken Lee – mastering Lady T – art direction Gannon Graphics – design B+ – photography
References
External links
2001 debut albums
Pep Love albums
Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings albums
Albums produced by A-Plus (rapper) Albums produced by Evidence (musician)