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Undoubtedly, Reef The Lost Cauze is one of Philly's
top battle emcees. With Invisible Empire he makes
it quite evident that he's able to capture the energy
of his live performances and translate them well to
wax. Not many 215 emcees can lay claim to being the
master of both elements of emceeing. Having already
proving his battle skillz in and around Philly and already
battling on a national level, he made the finals of
a battle in Oakland and eventually lost to an Oakland
emcee on his home turf in a venue packed with Oakland
Hip Hoppers. Get the point?
Invisible Empire is simply the truth. The album's
standout cut is the delicious hypness of This Is
My Life. Here you'll witness the intensity and sincerity
of Reef's delivery. This brother brings a raw passion
and presence to the game and it's evident as it bleeds
right through the speakers directly into your ear holes.
Mixtape DJ's and college radio alert; don't sleep on
this one. While you're at it y'all might wanna throw
the tightly presented slice of angst entitled Gladiator.
It's just a man, a mic and a beat. Not everyone has
forgotten that minimalism is sometimes the way to go.
Truth be told, there isn't a wack song to be found...
Angels Sing takes it downbeat and introspective
yet keeps it entertaining all the while contemplating
an existence surrounded by the cold reality and smell
of of death in the streets. From death to the politically
oriented organized confusion of Monday (F*** This
Job), Reef unleashes rhymes at a frenetic pace that
showcases his considerable diversity. There's something
Eminemnal at work here and it works just as well for
The Lost Cauze. Aight, a mention of another Hip Hop
heavyweight is justified when discussing Spanish
Geetar. Think of the type of boundary pushing fun
of A Tribe Called Quest and you get the ideal of what
this one's all about. On another episode Reef pops up
on the "if I didn't know better I'd think it
was a song from the Dirty South" sound of The
Puzzle. Back to the comparisons; imagine early Wu
Tang when peeping the energetic beat and vocal melding
of Deadly Combo.
I wasn't particularly feeling So Gangsta (Old Skool
Anthem) but it's a concept track that just didn't
hit me like the rest of the album did. Not bad, just
not my cup of tea. As for the rest of Invisible Empire,
what can I say but assure you that Reef shines on damn
near the whole entire album
For the most part, the beats do a good job of augmenting
Reef's rhymes with energetic instrumentation well suited
to his style. Props gotta go out to Cheeks for a yeoman's
job on his mastering skillz. It only adds to the overall
impressive presentation of Invisible Empire.
I've had the pleasure of seeing Reef grow as an emcee
right before my very own eyes. He's Clubber Lang hungry
y'all. If Reef continues to ascend at his current rate,
there's a good chance there'll be an empire but there
won't be a damn thing invisible about it. Philly knows
the deal. Oakland knows the real deal. It's only a matter
of time before the rest of AmeriKKKa knows that Reef
is no lost cause.
***not too many albums make it to the deck of my ride
but Invisible Empire has taken up residence in my CD
changer and doesn't seem to want to leave anytime soon.
Hmmm…
check out samples of Invisible Empire right
here
Are you feelin' "Invisible Empire" or not?
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in our online poll right here
Review by Funk Wizard Snow
Editor- PhillyHipHop.com
March, 2003
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