A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Ripening

Two years ago, Taylar Elizza Beth was at the center of Seattle’s hip-hop map: Her five-song Fresh Cut Flowers EP was widely acclaimed, and fans clamored for more of her quiet, smokey rapping style. After absconding to LA to reset and reflect, she returned with new power in 2019, playing to sold-out crowds at Capitol Hill Block Party and dropping Ripening, her full-length debut. The Bops & Flops blog highlights the “bouncy, sparse production” supplied by Tacoma superstar Khris P. and TEB’s “lightweight brush-off tracks.” Welcome back.

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

The BLK EP

Taylar Elizza Beth is one of the most exciting new artists in Seattle right now. I’ve been spinning Taylar’s first release, the seven-track THE BLK EP from 2014. I love the way she plays with time throughout her flow, speeding up and slowing way down and how this parallels verses that nostalgically speak about times gone by and yet to come. She also demonstrates an impressively diverse vocal range, a rap chameleon that morphs from smoky growl to soft whisper, or the arresting moment at the start of “Queenz of Da Beach” when she speaks plainly and vulnerably.

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Fresh Cut Flowers

The Fresh Cut Flowers EP from Taylar Elizza Beth summons that primal childhood feeling of hiding under the covers, reading by flashlight, afraid you might be caught, where the smallest rustling carries massive weight. But these delicate petals summon phantom roots, asserting growling resilience against the wind. “I am afraid of no one,” Taylar declares on “High & Haunted,” before conceding, “I am afraid of myself.” This track is a menacing centerpiece emboldened by Wolftone’s dirty production. This EP has many highlights, but foremost are the collaborations with five of city’s producers-du-jour: Luis Vela’s reverb wash, Urban Nerd’s electro-pop, Luna God’s ear for funky timing, and the mesmerizing keys on “The Storm,” from Sendai Mike. This is music that smolders at an unhurried pace, aware of its mortality. On “Synthesis” she sings, “I am dying,” and in that pause, you are faced with the fact that you and everyone you know are marching through life toward our collective, eventual deaths. At only 18 minutes, these are five-song mic drop moments worth clinging to.

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