Once again, leave it to the legendary Hieroglyphics crew to go against the grain. While other rappers are content to revel in material delights, longtime member Pep Love talks about Ascension.

"The purpose for my album is all in the title, Ascension," related Pep Love. "It's to help bring the listener and myself to a higher level through my music, and that's from revealing personal truth about myself and trying to reveal grander truth about mankind in general."

To achieve that end, Pep breaks down esoteric matters into simple, yet expansive topics like "US," "Black People (Melanin Magnetic)," and "Grime and Grit." "I don't really hide behind clouds of imagery," Pep explains. "I try to be sharp and go straight at it." The point behind "Grime and Grit," the first song off Ascension, is that "if you really about making a change, then you need to be ready to work for it and be disciplined."

Pep isn't above a little lyrical shadowboxing: "Fight Club," (produced by Evidence) for example, highlights very real lyrical skills as he drops lines like "Profuse verbal abuse to cook your goose/I serve superb turbulence when I get loose." Pep knows that hip-hop can be used to elevate as well as entertain the masses. He affirms that, "I consider myself to be a revolutionary. More of a spiritual revolutionary, as well as political, because that's the world we live in."

Tajai, Casual, the Grouch (Living Legends), and dancehall-rapper Major Terror make guest appearances. But for the worldwide fans of Pep Love and Hiero in general, this is Pep Love's chance to shine.

Heads will remember his verses on Casual's Fear of Self ("Who's It On"), his collabo w/ Del & Q-Tip on "Undisputed Champs," appearance on Extra Prolific's "Like it Should Be", and most recently -- the head-banger, "After Dark" on the Hiero album, Third Eye Vision.

When asked about the his experience and growth for the past few years Pep said - "I think the whole time I was trying to be an MC and an artist, be good at it, and continue to further myself and do more music, write more rhymes, read more books, and enrich myself so I could be the best possible artist I could be."

Pep Love now emerges before an audience well prepared for a metaphysical, message-oriented album. Simply put, "Ascension. Trying to keep on elevating myself to higher plateaus, higher planes of enlightenment, higher planes of achievement, higher planes of success, all of that." So, in the words of Laurence Fishburne, listen to Pep Love "run it down/And unravel my pedigree."