Reef the Lost Cauze

Born Sharif Lacey in West Philadelphia, Reef the Lost Cauze established himself early as a formidable battle-rap MC whose victories spanned schoolyards, dimly lit alleyways, and formal contests alike. Though awarded a scholarship in 2000, he abandoned film school after his initial year to devote fuller attention to hip-hop. The locally issued The High Life in 2002 and Invisible Empire in 2003 introduced his voice to Philadelphia’s underground circuit, yet sustained momentum arrived through successive regional and national battle competitions. Those triumphs secured a joint recording contract with Eastern Conference—owned by the New York underground duo the High & Mighty—and Good Hands. Feast or Famine, released in 2005, presented a broader artistic statement whose lead single, the DJ Mighty Mi–produced “Fair One,” included a guest verse from Boot Camp Clik’s premier lyricist Sean Price. Subsequent years saw only scattered local mixtapes, but the Philadelphia rapper maintained visibility through numerous guest appearances and collaborative tracks. He joined both the city-based JuJu Mob, whose Black Candles appeared on Eastern Conference in 2005, and the larger underground alliance Army of the Pharaohs, headed by Jedi Mind Tricks’ Vinnie Paz, in 2006.