3ChordFold is the debut studio album by American producer Terrace Martin. The album was released on August 13, 2013, by AKAI Music and Empire Distribution. The album features guest appearances from Ab-Soul, Kendrick Lamar, Problem, Musiq Soulchild, Robert Glasper, James Fauntleroy, Focus..., Wiz Khalifa, Brevi, Ty Dolla Sign, Snoop Dogg, Lalah Hathaway, Tiffany Gouché, and Punch, who also executive produced the album.
On February 12, 2013, the album's first single "Something Else" featuring Problem was released. On May 7, 2013, the music video was released for "Something Else" featuring Problem. On August 2, 2013, the music video was released for "No Wrong No Right" featuring Robert Glasper and James Fauntleroy. On October 1, 2013, the music video was released for "You're The One" featuring Ty Dolla Sign.
3ChordFold received generally positive reviews from music critics. Jay Balfour of HipHopDX gave the album four out of five stars, saying "Overall, 3ChordFold is a gratifying listen, in part, and this is beholden to Jazz albums of the past, because itâÂÂs full of memorable moments. Taken as a whole, it acts as a smooth mix of R&B and hip-hop (despite the previous termâÂÂs continually being encompassed by the second), and its best characteristic is its creatorâÂÂs musicality. Even when building a song that might fit on the radio, MartinâÂÂs production has a dynamism too often missing in todayâÂÂs hip-hop. In the end, itâÂÂs hard to complain too much about a lack of truly deep lyricism when there is so much else to pick through. In 2011, Martin told MTV, âÂÂThe good thing about music is you can just keep on doing it.â Free of the lifestyle agenda and celebrity of his peers, Martin may be a logical pick for continued musicianship in hip-hop. As fans, we can only hope he just keeps on doing it." Christian Mordi of XXL gave the album an XL, saying "With strong melodies, experimental textures and an array of stellar guest spots, 3chordfold is an often excellent album. Martin continues to showcase his ability to merge a mixture of jazz and funk backdrops with his California rhymes throughout the record. While early mixtapes like Locke High and Locke High 2 introduced the underground to Terrace Martin, 3ChordFold should open the door to many mainstream fans to a talented musician." Zach Gase of RapReviews gave the album an 8.5 out of ten, saying "Terrace Martin is many things: a rapper, a producer, a saxophone player, among other things. On his debut full-length album, "3ChordFold" he expertly utilizes all of his skills to create one of the year's best records."
Unless otherwise indicated, Credits are adapted from liner notes
Triangle Ship
Something Else
Over Time
Move On
Angel
I'm For Real
Credits adapted from liner notes