Working alongside the American Studies program at Rider, Sharif Lacey aka Reef The Lost Cauze spoke to a group of students and music lovers.... Lacey touched on topics such as the cultural roots of hip-hop, the difference between classic and modern hip-hop music and why the genre matters now more than ever. “If you wake up like me, you wake up every day kind of terrified of what’s gonna happen next,” he said. While Lacey said that hip-hop music has been politically charged and socially conscious for decades - rap group Public Enemy spoke out “in rage” during the crack epidemic in the early 1980s - modern artists such as Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Joey Bada$$ are shedding light on current political issues. “I think that’s the most important thing that hip-hop can offer to our kids and for our future” ... Born and raised in West Philadelphia, Lacey said he had a “stereotypical” upbringing: drugs, poverty, crime and an absent father. To combat this, he decided to “educate and empower” himself by listening to rappers such as Public Enemy, Kane, Rakim and Poor Righteous Teachers. “All these guys told me something that I wasn’t being told by anybody else. It kicked down that door, that we understood what was going on in the world.” ... Whether it’s word-of-mouth, social media or through student’s physical presence at Rider, Lacey encouraged the audience to speak out on issues that matter to them. “It’s going to be vital for you to use your voice in this time” ... “We’re in a world of trouble, and it’s not gonna change unless we band together!” - Rider News. You can watch the full lecture from Reef The Lost Cauze below...