Black Excellence in Action with Reef the Lost Cauze

Name: Black Excellence in Action with Reef the Lost Cauze
Start: 2026-02-01T16:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-02-01T20:00:00-05:00
Location: 3721 Midvale Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA

Schedule

Sun Feb 01 2026 at 04:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

3721 Midvale Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA | Philadelphia, PA

Student Ticket $5 (with student ID) $10 at the door
Sliding-Scale Ticket $10
General Admission Tickets $20, $25 at the door
Solidarity Ticket $30 (Help support our mission of giving)
After 2pm on the day of the show, tickets are only available at the door.
In celebration of 100 years of Black History Month, The Fallser Club is recognizing the rich talent and variety of our Black artists. This is the kick-off to a month of Black-led programming.
Feb 1st is a mindful celebration of Black Culture and Black history. Allowing for a closer community by elevating local black businesses, showcasing local Black artists, and promoting local community organizations. We will unite and ignite the month-long celebration of Black Excellence with the themes of Resistance, Pride, and Joy.This event is co-sponsored by The Fallser Club and young activist, Nigel Ousey. We want to support and highlight wonderful local businesses and encourage the community to get involved in activism.
Nigel Ousey
Nigel is a 12th grader at Science Leadership Academy, and this project is his Senior Capstone. Nigel is a podcaster on GTown Radio. His show Big Questions with Nigel Ousey can be found on Spotify. He started his nonprofit, See Beyond My Skin, when he was 12 years old. Nigel was a Civic Spring Fellow in 2023 and in 2024 he was a PWP Mission Story Slam Contestant. In 2025 he was a Story Corps’ Brightness and Black Fellow and a Philadelphia Young Playwrights Incubator Honoree.
Reef the Lost Cauze
Sharif Talib Lacey, known as Reef the Lost Cauze, is an underground rapper from West Philadelphia who rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through battle rap and live performances. Known for his sharp lyricism and commanding MC skills, Reef built his reputation by winning rap battles across Philadelphia, New York, and beyond. He released his debut album The High Life in 2001, followed by the critically praised Invisible Empire (2003), which helped establish his name in the underground hip hop scene. His third album, Feast or Famine (2005), marked a darker, more mature sound and featured collaborations such as Sean Price. Reef is also a member of JuJu Mob and the supergroup Army of the Pharaohs, appearing on several of their releases. Over the years, Reef continued releasing solo projects including The Stress Files (2008), Your Favorite MC (2011, with Snowgoons), and High Life 2013, a re-release and sequel to his debut. His career blends battle rap dominance with thoughtful, hard-hitting recorded work, earning him lasting respect in underground hip hop.
https://www.instagram.com/lostcauze/
https://lnk.bio/kWfl
https://fanlink.tv/uwBe
Spoken Word Artists
Empress L
Philadelphia poet & activist with Mission Arts.
Lady Boss
https://linktr.ee/aladyandaboss
Visual Artists
The Black Excellence Art Exhibit will be on display for the month of February. The art opening is at 4:30pm and will include a panel discussion with the artists.
Tieska Smith
Tieshka K. Smith is a Philadelphia-based visual storyteller, writer, speaker, and arts consultant whose work explores the complexities of American identity through the intertwined forces of race, class, and neighborhood change. For more than a decade, her camera has served as both witness and catalyst—capturing images that challenge inequities, uplift communities, and illuminate stories that are too often overlooked. She is committed to creating photography that holds space for truth while celebrating the resilience, creativity, and brilliance of the people she encounters.Her documentary work examines how communities define themselves, how culture is expressed in public space, and how narratives about place are shaped, contested, and reclaimed. Guided by a deep belief in the power of storytelling, she approaches her practice with curiosity, intentionality, and an unwavering commitment to justice.As the founder of TKenzi Enterprises, LLC, Tieshka has led and participated in numerous exhibitions, commissions, and community-based creative projects throughout Philadelphia and across the country. Her work has been featured by institutions including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the African American Museum in Philadelphia, and the Germantown Historical Society. She is the author of Compositions of Black Joy: A Visual Chronicle of the Philadelphia Juneteenth Festival (2015–2022), a project honoring one of the city’s longest-running Juneteenth traditions, its community roots, and the power of joy as resistance.Tieshka’s collaborative work reflects her passion for collective transformation. Her partnerships include the Stand With Ukraine Listening Loom, created with textile artist Kathryn Pannepacker, as well as creative listening sessions and community engagement initiatives with Networks for Training and Development, Inc. She served as a teaching resident with Eastern University’s Prison Education Program, co-organizing exhibitions and public events that highlighted the artistic excellence and lived experiences of incarcerated students.Her professional impact includes grants and awards from #ARTisPHL, the Philadelphia Assembly, and the Fund for Germantown, among others. She is the creator of #RacismIsASickness, a long-term art-and-activism initiative confronting the structural and emotional impacts of racism and state-sanctioned violence.A sought-after speaker and writer, Tieshka has presented at conferences, universities, and community forums, addressing topics such as the role of photography in social change, the ethics of documentary work, trauma-informed creative practice, and community-led cultural preservation. Her writing has appeared in Broad Street Review and in project-based publications focused on restorative practices through the arts.Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Tieshka received her B.A. in English Literature from Northwestern University and holds a Master of Project Management from the Keller Graduate School of Management. She is a Bartol Certified Teaching Artist, with extensive professional experience in grant writing, community development, and arts education.Through her photography, teaching, writing, and public work, Tieshka remains committed to fostering connection, amplifying community voices, and using the arts as a powerful tool for healing, understanding, and social change.
10yearsofracismisasickness.com
https://www.instagram.com/racismisasickness

Nomad
Nomad is a graffiti artist, clothing designer, and activist living in Philadelphia.
https://www.instagram.com/nomad_face/
UNAPXLXGETIC
UNAPXLXGETIC Is An Alternative Name Adopted By Neuro-Artist & Designer, Emmanuel Wisdxm.As an artist, designer, educator & curator, Emmanuel has been immersed in art all his life. He intertwines art and healing by using chromotherapy and ancestral symbolic representations to promote psychological and emotional health, empowering personal and collective identity to communities suppressed by colonialism, capitalism, and marginalization. As a child, he and his family experienced successive civil wars in his home country, Liberia. In 2003, Liberia entered active conflict lasting the entirety of his childhood there, resulting in 250,000 deaths, displacement of over half of the population, and destruction of critical infrastructures. Through art, he regained what felt lost as a child: play and freedom. It taught him to express himself confidently and extend this energy to others - a therapeutic outlet when interacting with our inner children. Kindness, connection, empathy, service, self-empowerment, and collective growth are integral principles of his visual arts approach. His mission is to share these modalities for collective healing. His paintings and murals offer a transformative journey that fosters self-discovery, reconnection with heritage, and mental rejuvenation. Proving that through mindful artistry, one can nurture a thriving inner garden and reclaim authenticity amidst external pressures. As an educator, he uses art as a language for restoration and expression, encouraging students to develop creativity, think critically, and learn intuitively. Utilizing trauma-informed modalities and socio-emotional skills through color psychology, helping students identify their emotional states and create mindful art. Art exhibitions are an imperative aspect of his journey as an artist. His shows are immersive art and wellness experiences, full of celebration. His exhibitions raises awareness around social equity, racial justice, spiritual ascension, and self empowerment in under-served communities. Selected clients & projects include: Nike, Disney Publishing, Men’s Health, American Greetings, Freeform TV, Reform Alliance, Wetransfer, NFL Alumni Association, Mural Arts, MLK ‘The Dream’ mural, Afro Constructivism poster series, Flora & Fauna exhibition, Solunar exhibition & Thinkin’ For A Change poster series.
https://www.instagram.com/unapxlxgetic/
https://www.unadesign.co/
10% off Taqueria Cresta with your Fallser Club ticket!!
By Car or By TrainThe East Falls Train Station is a short walk from the Fallser Club. Parking in East Falls is no problem! There is ample free on-street parking near the East Falls train station driveway at 3610 Midvale Ave and a paid municipal lot three blocks away at 4100 Ridge Ave. Midvale Ave and Ridge Ave are both well-lit!