If you’re familiar with the Philadelphia Hip-Hop scene, you most likely know Reef. If you don’t already, I strongly suggest you familiarize yourself with this beloved Philly native. If you have yet to meet him through his old-school flow and heavy-hitting yet poetic lyrics, you may recognize him from his fantastic events, including the Year End parties that he used to throw at Johnny Brenda’s. Those were always my favorites.
Reef has made a name for himself, not just in the Philadelphia music scene but also in the battle rap scene out in New York City. With over 20 years of experience under his belt, his name has earned a notable amount of praise, earning numerous recognitions around the city in murals and history lessons.
But what has always stood out to me about Reef is that he has not only navigated the music industry for years but succeeded in it. All while remaining kind, humble, and grounded. His warm smile perfectly juxtaposes his flow, incorporating highly clever and vivid wordplay that lingers in your thoughts after each line, leaving the listener wanting to internalize every word he spits. His delivery is effortless and smooth, playing off of Reef’s calm, level-headed demeanor that still gets you crazy hype. You’ll see exactly what I mean when you listen to his new album, The Triumphant. The production of his latest project integrates perfectly chopped-up samples that make it hard not to nod your head along with each beat that hits, perfectly heightening Reef’s rapping skills to make any old-school Hip-Hop lover feel as though they’ve been transported back in time. There’s a reason why Reef the Lost Cauze is so widely cherished in the city of Philadelphia, and it’s because someone this talented and genuine, who has been able to release wicked dope project after project, deserves to be celebrated. To commemorate Reef’s latest release, we connected to give you all a unique and thoughtful interview that tells the story of Reef’s journey to becoming the artist he is today while getting some more background about his new album. Bear with me, as it’s a tad lengthy. But when you’re getting to talk to someone as influential and monumental as Reef, you can’t blame me for getting excited.
Reef! I am so honored that you agreed to this interview. Honestly, I was always so amazed that you remembered who I was every time we ran into one another. You’re someone that I truly look up to so this is a very exciting moment for me. Let’s start with a little bit about you. How did you get your start in Hip-Hop? Would you say that growing up in Philadelphia gave you resources to begin your career?
Reef The Lost Cauze: “Of course, thank you so much for having me!
That is a very hard question to answer though because I can’t remember a time when the culture wasn’t a driving force in my life. I was born in ’81 so i’m about 7 years old during the first hip-hop “golden age”, right at that time when your first real memories and experiences are taking shape, so I feel almost as though I was born in it. As far as my actual career beginnings, that came the same way as most people. I had a producer, a long time family friend named Sleep E who saw something in me, and helped me make my first official demo which later became my first album. My friends were throwing shows and they put me on so it was all pretty organic. I just wanted to rhyme, ya know? And the universe saw to it to push me along. It didn’t hurt that yes, I was coming up at a time when Philly was this fertile playground of talent and opportunity.”
I can only imagine what that must have been like. And what about your battle rapping career? I’ve always loved the delivery and culture behind battle rapping. How did it prepare you to create your first few albums and how did the process behind getting ready for a battle versus putting together an album differ?
Reef: “The battle circut (auto correct changed that to “circus” like 4 times for good reason lol) was gladiator school for me. It really helped establish my name and get me looks that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. The thing I always understood, though. was that you could get pigeonhold in that lane, so it was important to me to always make and produce music outside of that. I was always doing both, battling *and* recording. Both disciplines helped expand my palette so to speak, especially performance wise. But making music always came first. So, win or lose, after a battle I’d have CD’s on deck to sell or pass out and that separated me from alot of those guys. I always saw it as a means to an end, so I was done with it after maybe 3-4 years. I had some legendary battles with guys like NEMS and the late great Pumpkinhead. Made a lot of friends in that scene as well. It served its purpose for sure, but I was totally done with it by my 2nd album.”
That’s really amazing that you were able to make both avenues happen! It takes a lot of diligence and drive. And that wasn’t the only creative outlet that you pursued! When you studied film at University of the Arts, did you incorporate any of those elements into your rap persona?
Reef: “Well my focus at the Film department was actually screen writing. So I was able to use a lot of those structures I learned in school and apply them to my song writing, mainly the template of how a story breaks down and the importance of language. So much of my work reads like dialogue, using a lot of pop culture references and internal questions. All of those elements that feel like they’re taken from a monolouge. All my albums are essentially one big stage play lol.”
That’s beautiful! There are quite a few theatrical elements in your work, so that’s a really cool way to incorporate it in. Now, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you in more creative settings where you’re Reef the Lost Cauze but I’ve also gotten to meet you more personally as Sharif. Are there any elements from your personal life that you try to keep completely separate from your rap persona, and vice versa?
Reef: “Well that’s really the thing. There is no persona. What you see is what you get. I look at it like I have different suits. Some days I have to wear my dad suit or my working man suit or my community worker suit, and then some days I have to put on my MC suit and go handle business. But no matter which suit im rocking that day It’s still all me, I am an open book. I think that’s what my supporters really appreciate about what I do is that you’re always going to get genuine. Whether im showing you something beautiful about my life or something awful the point is im going to show it. You guys signed up to follow a man first, a human first. The music stuff is secondary to the humanity. I need people to trust me and believe in me and the only way to do that is to live a life of transparency.”
It honestly is one of the reasons why I am such a big supporter of what you do, not just as an artist but as a community member as well. When creating your first studio album, The High Life, what were some of your biggest hurdles? Do you still face them today when creating or have you found ways to successfully overcome them?
Reef: “I was basically a baby when we did The High Life. 19- 20 years old to be exact. I was a street rat at that point. All I wanted to do on the mic was just straight attack shit and beast shit, but what Sleep (producer of The High Life) did was encourage that energy and that edge, and then just kind of tried to reel it in a bit to get it on tape lol. I think the most challenging thing was to simply show up prepared and ready to work. I learned early just how much I didn’t really enjoy the studio lol, anyone who has worked with me knows I like to spend as little time there as possible. So in order to get out of there quick, it’s about the work you do before you get there. That was a lesson I learned early and still apply to this day. Having your rhymes ready having your flow down, knowing the beat etc. I don’t want 20 mfers in there hanging out. This is work and you should respect the time and space of the engineer. I also didn’t really know shit about writing songs or bar counts or hooks, etc. I just wanted to come in there and body shit, but making actual songs and stuff. A lot of that came from working with Sleep. So I owe alot to him.”
I think a lot of those things are helpful tips for artists, no matter how old they are. But we’ve come a long way since The High Life. Congrats on your new album, Reef! What’s the premise behind your newest project, The Triumphant? Can you also explain the cover art and why you chose to use the color orange, including for your vinyl? By the way, the vinyl is absolutely gorgeous and I’d love an autographed copy! ;D Where can fans purchase them?
Reef: “Well thank you for saying that! I think the vinyl looks great as well, you can get them off my bandcamp page or goonsgear.com. The Triumphant is the second album in a trilogy I’m doing. Each album will have one of my 3 kids on the cover. The first, The Majestic, featured my eldest son. This one features his brother, my middle son. The last one will feature my daughter. It’s my way of having them be a part of this journey and kind of be a snap shot of where I was in life at the time of the creation of it. We based the vinyl color around the color of the album cover, which has that bright orange sky in the background. This album is really about the triumph of the human sprit, the desire to dream, and to keep pushing in a world that is constantly telling you to give in and give up. I feel we accomplished that.
Reef!! That is so wonderful! I must include, Reef on daddy duty is truly a wonderful sight. Seeing how proud you are of your kids on social media is absolutely beautiful, so I love that you found a way to include them in your music. What would you say is the biggest difference and signs of growth that you’ve seen when comparing The Triumphant to some of your earlier projects like The High Life and Invisible Empire?
Reef: “When it comes to my music I always kind of go back to this one Muhammad Ali quote, “if a man views the world at 50 the same way he did at 20 he has wasted 30 years”. There’s no way I can make the same songs and subject matter as I did back then. As I grow, as I live, so should the music. So the subject matter is going to be different then it was when I was younger and more importantly the intention and execution should be sharper as well, otherwise you’re going backwards. I honestly don’t listen to my older stuff that much because I know how much better I’ve gotten, not just as a writer and performer, but as a recording artist. Some of those early albums are just raw and all over the place lol like 6 min songs and shit, I was really just finding my way. And I feel I’m still finding my way but I know who I am and how I want to do things. Having that vision and focus wasn’t something I could have had at 20 years old.”
I completely agree with that. We need to make art that’s relevant to the person we are at that moment. And it’s true, we’re always going to keep trying to find our way, but we gain a bit more clarity with each step. To prepare for the album release, what went into deciding to release “Umar’s Revenge,” “Tangerine,” and “The Light of Day” as singles for the project? The cover art for “The Light of Day” is absolutely spectacular, by the way.
Reef: “Honestly, the order of the singles really came down to time and circumstance. What I mean is in this day and age where visuals are king, we knew just putting songs out with no type of video/visual would be pointless, so it just came down to what we were able to shoot and edit in the time frame we had. So with a song like “Tangerine,” we had this big idea for a video. But, as time got closer, we were like, fuck it, let’s just put a lyric video out and revisit it later. If I could, I’d shoot a video for every single song on there. There’s definitely more on the way too.”
Would you say there are any recurring themes throughout the album, either between songs, features, production, etc?
Reef: “I think the themes that kind of weave the album all together are family, legacy, and mortality. Obviously we have a lot of straightforward rap songs where I’m just flowing and shit, but the heavier songs definitely touch on the subjects mentioned. Again, these are things you think about and talk about at 42, at least for me it is. As far as collaborators, I’ve never been one to seek out “bigger names” for the streams or looks. I have a crew of incredible friends who make amazing music that fits my sound, folks like Caliph and Dumhi and Bear One, my cousin Quan Saleem. People I genuinely love and rock with and they feel the same about me. I’ll take those guys beats over anyone.”
We have a very special place in our heart over here at Spice for Bear One. That’s how you know you have got yourself a solid group. Moreover, you have accomplished so much in the City of Philadelphia, from sold out events to murals and trolly tours dedicated to your artistry and career. What have been some of your proudest moments as a Hip-Hop artist in Philly and what more do you wish to see happen in the arts community?
Reef: “I could never quantify or really articulate what this city has meant to me or done for me. I just remember all my friends when we were younger. We all wanted to make a name for ourselves as MC’s and I was the only one to be able to really do it. To me that’s the biggest accomplishment because it’s less about talent and more about the work. I was determined to put the work in. Probably the thing I’m most proud of is being from here, living here, raising a family here, and being a part of the community here, but still being able to have opportunities to represent this city all over the world. There’s so many people who never got that chance, or they’re not known past the Walt Whitman bridge, so to be able to go beyond Philly was really important to me.”
And we appreciate you so much for repping the city with so much pride and dignity. You make us proud! Where can listeners find you and what do you have coming up that fans can get excited for?
Reef: “You can find me at @lostcauze on Instagram and Twitter even though Twitter is pretty much dead now lol. Reef The Lost Cauze on Streaming, Bandcamp etc. Thanks so much for your time! My new album, The Triumphant, is officially out as of 2/2/24. We have a dope album release party happening tomorrow, 2/9, at Johnny Brenda’s. Come on out!”
Reef, thank you so much for your time! I’m really looking forward to the release party.
Spice on the Beat 