Terrace Martin

Terrace Martin ranks among the most adaptable creators of his time, one who thrives on open-ended partnerships across scenes. Rooted in the fertile Los Angeles music environment, the multi-instrumentalist who produces, composes, and sings has logged extensive studio and stage time alongside Snoop Dogg, Lalah Hathaway, Herbie Hancock, and Kendrick Lamar; the last of those associations yielded his earliest Grammy nominations through contributions to good kid, m.A.A.d. city and To Pimp a Butterfly. At the helm of his own releases, Martin maintains a substantial catalog that fuses R&B, jazz, and hip-hop via collective methods. That body of work encompasses the early street album Locke High from 2008, the Grammy-nominated Velvet Portraits issued in 2016 and Drones from 2021, along with additional solo and paired efforts such as Fine Tune in 2023, I Left My Heart in Ladera also in 2023, and Nintindo Soul in 2024. He directs Sounds of Crenshaw, the imprint active since 2016 that houses his wide-ranging activity, among which sits the Grammy-nominated outfit Dinner Party.

The initial record Martin purchased was EPMD’s single “You Gots to Chill.” His affinity for hip-hop deepened steadily while appreciation for jazz took hold through his father, Curly Martin, the Nebraska-born drummer later inducted into the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame. After several years on keyboards, the younger Martin took up saxophone at age 13, drawing lasting influence from Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Jackie McLean. At Locke High School—whose music program had already shaped musicians including Ndugu Chancler, Patrice Rushen, and Gerald Albright and would later produce associates such as Kamasi Washington and Thundercat—he advanced to first chair of the California All-State Honors Jazz Band. Engagements with Billy Higgins, P. Diddy, and Kirk Franklin arrived soon after, as did an enduring partnership with Snoop Dogg; Jay Leno awarded him a college scholarship once Tonight Show Band member Kevin Eubanks encountered his playing.

Martin launched his production work in 2004 on projects for Snoop, Warren G, and Nate Dogg’s group 213 as well as Shawnna, then secured a placement with Warren G plus three additional tracks on Bigg Snoop Dogg Presents: Welcome to tha Chuuch - Da Album the following year. Snoop introduced the 2007 mixtape Signal Flow and supplied Martin’s first production credit on a single with the 2008 release of “Neva Have 2 Worry.” That same year Martin issued the street album Locke High, hosted by Snoop and DJ Drama and featuring early influences DJ Quik and Kurupt among its contributors. In subsequent seasons he expanded his solo output, joined DJ Devi Dev on the mixtape Here, My Dear and the Sex EP, and teamed with rapper Murs for Are Melrose. He co-produced the title track and produced “Real” for Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 breakthrough good kid, m.A.A.d. city, earning his first Recording Academy acknowledgment when the album received an Album of the Year nomination. Martin’s own 3ChordFold appeared in 2013 with guest turns from Lamar, Snoop, Ab-Soul, and Robert Glasper; it became his first solo project to chart, reaching number 43 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally.

An array of credits accumulated in the years that followed on releases by Big K.R.I.T., Travi$ Scott, Ty Dolla $ign, and YG. A second Grammy nomination arrived in 2015 when Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, which included several of Martin’s co-productions such as “King Kunta,” contended for Album of the Year. Signed to Ropeadope as a leader, Martin delivered Velvet Portraits in 2016; featuring Glasper, Thundercat, and Lalah Hathaway, the album climbed to number two on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart and earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album. Further sessions and performances with numerous partners, Herbie Hancock among them, preceded 2017’s Sounds of Crenshaw, Vol. 1. Credited to the Pollyseeds, the multi-genre set involved Glasper, Kamasi Washington, and Rose Gold and debuted at number three on the jazz chart. Martin next participated in Glasper’s R+R=Now ensemble, which released the Blue Note LP Collagically Speaking in 2018. By decade’s end his extensive side credits had grown further, with continued calls from Snoop, Lamar, Washington, ScHoolboy Q, Rapsody, and 2 Chainz for his services as instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter.

A cluster of cross-genre projects surfaced throughout 2020, among them the short-form headlining releases Soul Juice, Conscious Conversations, Sinthesize, and Impedance plus the standalone single “Pig Feet,” an unflinching Black rebel anthem. Additional offerings included the full-length Terrace Martin’s Gray Area Live at the JammJam and the Ric Wilson collaboration They Call Me Disco. Most prominent was the debut from Martin’s all-star group Dinner Party—Martin, Washington, Glasper, and 9th Wonder—which arrived alongside the Grammy-nominated Dinner Party: Dessert. Martin’s conceptual LP Drones, long in development, surfaced in 2021 and received a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album.

Dinner Party reconvened in 2023 for Enigmatic Society, a project followed three months later by Martin’s Fine Tune, a lighter and more jazz-rooted set than Drones. Fine Tune offered interpretations of SZA’s “Snooze” and H.E.R.’s “Damage,” the latter featuring harpist Brandee Younger and bassist Derrick Hodge. Curly arrived soon afterward, a free-flowing tribute embodying the spirit of Martin’s father, along with the EP Nova recorded with James Fauntleroy. I Left My Heart in Ladera, a collaboration with Alex Isley, included a cover of Sade’s “Paradise.” Martin also issued albums with Calvin Keys on The Near North Side and with Gallant on Sneek, then capped the busy year with the instrumental hip-hop holiday album Ornamental and the 24kGoldn collaboration “Madness.” Activity remained equally brisk in 2024. Her Thoughts arrived as another covers EP containing songs by Coco Jones and Snoh Aalegra. Two Drink Minimum documented an acoustic jazz trio session with Martin on drums, Ben Williams on bass, and Paul Cornish on piano. Grounded presented calm ambient compositions aimed at mental well-being. Nintindo Soul, featuring appearances from 9th Wonder, Cautious Clay, Elena Pinderhughes, and Buddy, merged R&B and hip-hop. Martin also surfaced that year on recordings by Kamasi Washington, Mustard, Rapsody, and Roddy Ricch.