East To Weest

In the wake of Phife Dawg’s untimely demise, Terrace Martin shares his ode to one of his most influential groups on the latest offering off his Velvet Portraits. Album drops April 1.

“I was in N.Y.C. last summer and it was a hot summer,” Martin wrote, describing the song’s meaning in a note to The FADER. “I was inspired by the energy of N.Y. alone to do different types of music. That’s why I love the city. But I also wanted to do something to say thank you to one of my favorite groups. Thank you for letting me know it’s okay to be different. Thank you for turning me on to jazz music, because without A Tribe Called Quest there would not be a Terrace Martin. I wouldn’t even be a musician because ATCQ is what made me want to play the saxophone. I wanted to get someone involved on it with me who understood the power and love of Tribe so I decided to call one of my best friends, Keyon Harrold, featured on the trumpet.”