Black Excellence in Action with Reef the Lost Cauze

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.

XPN Welcomes the monthlong Celebration of Black Excellence at The Fallser Club, including Black Excellence in Action with Reef the Lost Cauze and JJXRocks

4pm doors open with food, music, art exhibit, and vendor tour

4:30 artist panel discussing their work: Reef, Emmanuel, Tieshka, Empress L, Lady Boss

5:15 pm Spoken Word with Unapxlxgetic, Empress L, Lady Boss

5:45 opening music with JJXRocks

6:15- 7:30pm  Reef the Lost Cauze 

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.

We will have many nonprofit organizations and local businesses tabling, so you can find ways to get involved in your community and make a positive impact.

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.

Nigel's GTown Interview with Reef the Lost Cauze

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

Lawanda Horton, who goes by the name Empress L, is a Native New Yorker and Philadelphia Based Activist and Nonprofit Consultant. Her poetry and theatre background spans 3 decades, and her style is a bold and unapologetic commentary on current events and societal ills.

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. There will also be an interactive art project for the audience created by Nomad.

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/

Tieshka Smith

Frames of Liberation features a selection of photographs of the Philadelphia Juneteenth Festival in Germantown by Tieshka K. Smith.  Centering Black vendors, performers, cultural celebration, civic engagement, community resilience and activism, the work highlights how the Festival has grown over time while staying rooted in its mission to honor Black excellence, freedom and resistance.

Tieshka K. Smith is a Philadelphia-based photographer, writer, and community-focused storyteller. Through her work, she explores how rituals, spaces, and shared experiences sustain communities. Her practice blends visual storytelling, design research, and community archiving, creating projects that foster reflection, connection, and cultural memory. She is the author of Compositions of Black Joy: A Visual Chronicle of the Philadelphia Juneteenth Festival (2015–2022). Her website is tieshkasmith.com.

10% off  Taqueria Cresta with your Fallser Club ticket!!

By Car or By Train

The 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!