Now To 97

Resolution is a collective of four eclectic hip-hop artists from New York -- KastUno, TransLucent, Richie Rreals and ElaNEF. The four went to high school together in Downtown Brooklyn in the mid to late '90s, hopped rooftops together, recorded songs in attics and basements and stayed connected over the years to continue making music. KastUno, who started producing beats and writing rhymes in '96, is a lyricist and writer from Long Island and Downtown Brooklyn who now works in media covering music, culture and business for several publications. His songs pull from the subjects he writes about with a more sarcastic tone. Between 2000 and 2004 Kast collaborated with hip-hop artists from New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Montreal and Tokyo for an ongoing music project co-formed by Resolution member ElaNEF, which included album releases and live shows. Kast released his first solo album, Not For The Faint Hearted, Dull Witted, in 2003 and recorded an EP in 2005 with producer Grady Graduate Walker under the group name Dustin Hoffman, which the duo never released. Kast places himself among the upper echelon of stream-of-thought freestylists having received the endorsement of producers, label reps and radio DJs. TransLucent, (also known as ALBiON), is a musician, lyricist, and writer and from Cobble Hill Brooklyn who has been performing on stage as long as he has been appearing in magazines as a fashion model -- since '97. His lyrics are drawn from the experience of a native New Yorker and delivered with rhythmic and melodic gusto. Lu and Richie Rreals collaborated on their full-length album Lu...

Rreals Track Team in 2007. The two have performed their intertwining emcee spectacle on several local New York stages promoting their music, as well as at colleges such as Princeton and Bard, and gigs that took them as far as Nashville. Lu released his first solo album, Stephen Thompson IS ALBiON, in 2011 around the same time that he became the face of Givenchy for their Spring/Summer 2011 modeling campaign. He is scheduled to move to Paris in September for a long running Show in 2014 displaying his musicianship and stage presence at the old L'Eldorado Theatre. Richie Rreals is a lyricist and writer from Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn who now directs youth athletics programs and coaches baseball among other sports throughout different parts of the boroughs. His music carries a drive that he honed as a teenager who spent his time acting, writing and making use of recreation centers and parks. His lyrics are often centered on artistic expression, personal struggles and impressions of his home city. Rreals took the helm setting up Lu...

Rreals shows throughout New York and other states throughout the 2000's and sold the duo's music through multiple venues, online and off. ElaNEF, known for his live beat-boxing performances, is a vocal artist and lyricist from Marine Park Brooklyn. He has worked for the Office of Emergency Management and other New York City departments over the past seven years. He devotes his spare time to promoting up-and-coming artists across a range of genres. His 2011 release with DJ Nutritious, The Bum Flick Agenda, is a mash-up of drum-n-bass, ragga and hip-hop tracks featuring various singers, emcees, DJs and beat makers. He has collaborated on multiple projects with Kast, Lu...

Rreals, Brooklyn-born emcee ZEPS and his beat-boxing cohort Mr. #1. Elan released his first solo EP, Wise Cracka, in 2007. As a former graffiti writer, Elan often references his addiction to street art in his lyrics. We were teenagers living in Brooklyn when hip-hop was in it's teenage years, says Elan. The influence of graffiti was inevitable and I embraced it.