Over the last decade few people have put so much time and energy into the culture they love. Realizing early on that music was his birthright, Terrace Martin, a producer/saxophonist/television and film scorer/songwriter has done just that. Terrace was Born to father, (a jazz drummer) and mother (a jazz singer). While coming up in this heavily influenced musical home, he played drums by age 3 and learned piano by age 6, but picking up the alto sax at age 13 got him like nothing else. He loved jazz more than any other genre of music; the freedom it gives him is second to none. It has been Terrace Martin’s love for the alto sax that has catapulted his career into a world beyond imagination.Martin was just a senior in high school when his professional music career began. As most teens were studying for the SATs, Martin was playing baritone sax in Sean “Diddy†Combs’ band. After touring the world with Diddy, Martin went on to work with jazz greats Billy Higgins, Art Farmer and Herbie Hancock. Martin still looking to take his creative skills to another level, he tried his hand at producing. Terrace continued to refine his skill; it wasn’t until after a chance meeting with Soopafly and receiving some valuable guidance from fellow LA native, Battlecat that his talent really began to take shape. To say that Martin was a quick study would be an understatement. He worked obsessively until finally catching the ears of LA’s own Snoop Dogg.Martin’s keen ear for music and genre bending recordings placed him into a league of his own. Forgoing the practice of using samples, Terrace employs the use of real instruments to accentuate the performance aspect of the music. He produced countless rap and R&B acts but never really got much credit for his work like every other producer on the come up. It wasn’t until Snoop Dogg’s Rhythm and Gangsta album that he started to get noticed for his production style. The next five years would find him landing hit after hit, placing Terrace into a state of high demand and not to mention Snoop’s production partner.His aesthetic is a progression from the early 50’s to the late 70’s influenced by the likes of Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis mixed with the electronic sounds of the 90’s and Dr. Dre. Shattering the acknowledged rules of hip-hop production, Martin samples everything from funk and jazz to classical, creating fresh and original tracks. From this newly developed sound, the rapper, producer, and musician, Terrace Martin has lent his skills to artists such as Snoop Dogg, Quincy Jones, Fergie, Raphael Saadiq, Charlie Wilson and Stevie Wonder, just to name a few. His wildly imaginative productions have made him one of the most sought after producers.As a result of his exceptional success as a producer, Martin teamed up with Warner Brothers and established his own record label, Jakai Music Group. He began unveiling his own stable of upcoming artists (Uncle Chucc – featured on Neva Hafta Worry; Ego Trippin).
Martin's background in jazz music and music theory give his music a sonic breath and maturity that surpasses his years. He creates a sound that transcends hip-hop, and becomes one with soul, jazz and R&B. “I started producing hip-hop tracks because it was the music of my time, but I never lost my love for jazz. No matter where I’m at in life, I’ll always have the desire to play my horn.â€
Myspace Rappers, from Problem featuring Terrace Martin.
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