ReZ

Born in Eastwick (Elizabeth, NJ), raised in Dramatown and Brick City (Roselle and Newark), ReZ, now 22, started out writing simple, funny lyrics in 1996 that he kept to himself. In 1997, a few of his boys, mainly Last Don Blessed, inspired him to take rap a little more seriously. Rez had immature aliases like "Geezus Krystale" and "Deniro Thugstah" at the time. He looked at it as something to do as a hobby and liked the attention (he is a Leo afterall). In 1998, Rez and Last Don established a group of emcees known as East Side Assassins. That didn't last long at all. Also, in 1998, Rez changed his style of simple, commercial raps to pure underground; this is when he recognized the difference between Rap and Hip Hop and started using his lyricism to vent and release all his pent up frustrations and anger (he always was known for being on the edge and having a bad temper and being troublesome). Not having access to a studio, Rez looked to the internet for exposure. During this time period, he kept the name Deniro. He posted his lyrics in forums online and later created his own fully operational website for other lyricists to come to called Deniro's Headquarters (DHQ). During the time of being online, from 1998 until the end of 1999, Rez befriended a group of emcees who shared similar dark interests and lyrical styles as he did, Lost Souls of Necropolis.
Rez had a great respect for LSN and vise versa. The year 2000 came and Rez stopped going online as much so he lost touch with LSN and other lyricists online that he befriended. He dropped the name Deniro and didn't need an alias. During his freshman year in HS, he again gained the reputation as a hotheaded, troublesome, hateful and hated, dark minded rebel. He never could get along with anyone really at that time. Last Don still had a passion to write and made sure Rez didn't stop progressing in his lyricism. Since Rez knew he had to calm down, he started using his lyrics to vent again, and got into some battles in HS. Through these cafeteria/ afterschool battles, he became good friends with well known artists SiNiCaL and TaH-Bo0. SiNiCaL had a home studio started, and would invite emcees from the HS to make songs and battle on record. These were the days where Rez was purely underground and possibly the most enjoyable of his Hip Hop experience. He also got his name at this time period (check the blog to know the story of the name).
His lyrics reflected darkness, carnage, war, new age, the paranormal, anarchy, philosophy, science, and math. Eventually, SiNiCaL, TaH-Bo0, and ReZ would go on to create a group of strong lyricists known as the Black Dragonz. This group included SiNiCaL, TaH-Bo0, Rezonance, Hatiz, Prophecy, and Sylenz; Fallen Angel, Last Don Blessed, and Lyrical Tearz were also affiliates to the group. This was a family, but as many families do, they separated. There were disagreements, beefs, tension, and betrayals. In 2004, Rez got back in touch with a well known artist of LSN, RyPa the Transparent Exorcist. He got Rez to feature on a song called Bloody Courtyards. Since then, RyPa and ReZ have kept in touch and will be doing more collabs. Rez also met with an artist in NY by the name of Ixion Form, and established an affiliation with their label Abandoned Playhouse Recordings.
Also, in 2004, ReZ and Fallen Angel wanted to try something different. This was the birth of the idea for the Streetz iz Dark mixtape. They combined Rez's sick, dark style of Hip Hop with Fallen Angel's gangsta, street style of Hip Hop. Some of the members of the Black Dragonz fam even featured on it. It dropped in 2005. A couple hundred copies were sold in NJ, and that was it. They didn't promote it much, it was rushed, and wasn't done as professional as it could've been done if it wasn't rushed. Although it wasn't as successful as it could've been, it wasn't a flop either. Everyone who heard the mixtape said it was a solid cd. Everyone said that it was the type of music you could play if you're in one of those angry moods or depressed moods, somethin people can just go crazy to. People had favorite songs such as "Forgotten," "Sick Intentionz," and "Street Sweeperz."
After that release, ReZ went through some things in life and got involved with things "he shouldn't have been involved with." Because of his lifestyle and his education, ReZ was kept away from writing and doing music from 2005 until 2007. Basically, things that happened in his life as a young child happened again but in different forms (proof that history does repeat itself). The independent label, Flipstyle Productions, heard of ReZ, who he was, and listened to some of his music from the Streetz iz Dark mixtape. They took ReZ in and inspired him to pick up the pen and step in the booth again. Flip, the main man of Flipstyle Productions, was pushing ReZ to drop solo mixtapes, albums, hop on compilations and other mixtapes, and even do music videos and shows. It was a good experience for ReZ, it developed him further as an artist. The only negative effect that Flipstyle Productions had on ReZ, as many fans have said, is that they seemed to water him down. Fans listened to Beast Muzick, and even though they liked it, they didn't feel the new ReZ like that old ReZ like on Streetz iz Dark. Flipstyle Productions developed ReZ to focus on music as more of a business than an expression of self and a part of culture. ReZ is no longer with Flipstyle Productions.