Reef the Lost Cauze
| Reef the Lost Cauze | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Sharif Talib Lacey |
| Also known as | Sharif, Reef, Lost Cauze |
| Born | December 30, 1981 |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | MC, singer |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Babygrande, Good Hands |
| Associated acts |
JuJu Mob Snowgoons Army of the Pharaohs King Magnetic, Jedi Mind Tricks, Vinnie Paz |
Sharif T. Lacey (born December 30, 1981), better known by his stage name Reef the Lost Cauze, is an underground hip hop artist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cauze became well known on the underground circuit towards the late 1990s and more so in the early 2000s, making his mark by winning many battle competitions within New York and interstate and displaying rare skills of what many called true MCing.
Releasing The High Life album in 2001, Cauze moved on by teaming up with his past partners and friends and released The Invisible Empire in 2003 to much critical acclaim and thus establishing his name amongst many circles and true hip hop heads, as well as the underground. Feast or Famine was released in 2005 again to positive critical reception, as well as his side project, The Torture Papers, being part of the rap/hip-hop supergroup Army of the Pharaohs in 2006.
Reef is also part of hip hop underground groups; JuJu Mob & Army of the Pharaohs.
Born Sharif Lacey in West Philadelphia, Reef the Lost Cauze came up in hip-hop as a lethal battle-rap MC. Having spent a great deal of his childhood acting in plays and performing, Reef fell in love with Hip Hop at the age of eight and has been rhyming ever since. By the time he reached high school, he had earned a reputation as a deadly battle emcee, jumping in any and every cipher he came across. It was not until he was accepted into Philadelphias University of the Arts on a film scholarship that he began to visualize a serious career on the mic. He began to hone his songwriting skills, and worked on perfecting his stage shows. He defeated opponents in all types of venues, from school grounds to grimy back alleys to professional competitions. In 2000, despite obtaining a scholarship, Reef dropped out of college where he was studying film school only at the age 19 to focus on his music realizing that he had found his true calling as a hip-hop artist.
He linked up with Philadelphia producer Sleep E early in 2002 to begin recording his first solo project, The High Life which was released in 2002. The 10-track album opened doors for Reef, and he began performing at area clubs, generating praise from fans and media alike. In February 2003, Reef released his second studio album Invisible Empire, an 18-track album that he distributed himself by way of a national schedule of shows. He won the Mic Check Battle in Philadelphia in 2003, after which he travelled to Oakland, California to take 2nd place in the Blaze Freestyle Battle. Titles and accolades aside, Reef describes the first year of his recording career as a time of growth, both professionally and personally. Life experience really came about in my writing, he says. I was comfortable with reaching beyond being simply an emcee and becoming a musician.
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