Terrace Martin Partners With BMG for Jazz Album Series

Terrace Martin — the artist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist known for working with Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Robert Glasper, among others — announced a partnership between BMG and his Sounds of Crenshaw label on Monday (May 22). The results will be six jazz albums, with the first of which is due out this summer. According to the label, Martin will perform and/or compose and produce on each release.

“Terrace is an extremely talented, influential, and highly respected creator and protector of the Culture,” Tim Reid, BMG svp of repertoire & marketing, said in a statement. “There is an authenticity and attention to detail in his creative approach that is undeniable.” Fred Casimir, BMG’s evp of global repertoire & marketing, added that Martin is a “true master of his art. We are proud to be his partner on this exciting journey.”

Martin said simply, “it feels great to be in business with a family that understands my vision.” He released his 2021 album Drones with BMG.

Martin’s father was a jazz drummer, and he’s maintained a close connection to jazz — working with luminaries like Herbie Hancock, for example — even as he’s built his profile in both hip-hop and R&B. Casual listeners probably know Martin best for his contributions to Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly; he has also been nominated for Best Progressive R&B Album (twice) and Best R&B Album.

In 2020, Martin teamed up with 9th Wonder, Kamasi Washington, and Robert Glasper on a group called Dinner Party, which released an eponymous album that year and a follow-up, Engimatic Society, in April. “A lot of musicians have so many fucking rules in their heads that they limit themselves,” Martin told The Fader. “They know so fucking much, they don’t know anything.”