Who Is Terrace Martin?

[Verse 1]
Who is Terrace Martin?
I'm just another artist tryna catch a break
In this world starving, hungry for love and the truth
Regardless of what I've found life taught me "be optimistic"
Can't receive a blessing with my head down, I might miss it
So my head in the clouds at least for right now
Organic vodka and this weed won't let me come down
But when I do, reality consumes
My sober brain can't take the smallness of this little room
Call my life, 4 kids, no wife
Four baby mamas who all said they hate me at one point in time
Rightfully so cause I ain't shit, I barely see my kids
Like I should, I traded them for the music biz
It hurt me when I say that shit out loud
Some of the things I said and did was so foul
I ain't proud, what I am is an imperfect man
I try to send my babies bread whenever I can
But that's few and far between
My money ain't what it once was, I was living a dream
A long way from 8th and Slauson Boulevard
Fascinated with hood shit, but wasn't a hood star
A cultured boy in a hood of sharks
Whoever thought my love for music would take me this far
Some of these scars, we wasn't piss poor
But it was hard moving into that motel off of Crenshaw
My daddy was in and out of the crack house
Many a days, me and my momma had to pull him out
That's why my skin so tough now
You think I give a fuck what these rap niggas talking about
Not in the least, all you niggas could die
And I wouldn't give a rest in peace
No rest, no sleep, cocaine in my bloodstream
And I'm up trying to get this cheese
Yeah I turned into that nigga
Signed a deal with Warner and compromised my whole vision
Round that time I met Wiz Khalifa
A big dreamer from Pittsburgh, smoked a gang of reefer
My house reeked of cannabis sativa
What got me high was the shit coming out of the speakers
Warner dropped him, they wasn't believers
Truthfully speaking they wasn't fucking with me neither
Snoop helped me get that situation
I broke bread with my niggas, most of my niggas hated
But not Jason, me and Problem so basic
Just had fun with the music, avoid the confrontation
Other niggas thought my deal was a meal for them
And west laid plotting on me letting my feelings spill
Chrissy heard the whole ordeal
I'll never fuck with them again, so real

[Verse 2]
Three years passed, same scene, different cast
Old team went bad, lost focus, got it back
Me and Quik crossed paths in the lab, he was fast
Breaking sound down to math, eventually we would clash
We patched it up, that was in the past
To be real, I couldn't even tell you why we was mad
My Top Dawg niggas put us in the same room
To mix Jay Rock album, the energy resonated through
When I seen him, I already knew
That any problem that we had wasn't an issue
Same session me and Dr. Dre reconnected
In the presence of them legends, taught me a valuable lesson
Stay humble, never act reckless
Cause all of this could be gone in a split second
It did before, I slipped into depression
And couldn't work 'cause my gift, I was second guessing
A lot of that was over my ex, shit
A lot of people tried to warn me I didn't even trip
I quit music, sold all my shit
Evil bitch sucked me dry, had me so sick
Watching TV was a trip
I couldn't turn the channel without seeing somebody she fucked with
That marked the birth of Here, My Dear
Combinations of emotions I experienced in them dark years
(I had no idea) Hold up, I'ma stop here
Cause Kendrick said it all, my downfall is documented
But my rise is cemented
Acclaimed critics dig it, women love it, niggas feel it
Some of which vented they want the vintage
Terrace Martin, in my eyes, is on the finish line
Progress away, thinking I caught myself just in time

[Outro: Terrace Martin]
Life...
It's all true
So
I wanna take this time out right now to just
To just... acknowledge... a few folks that touched my life
Touched my heart and touched my soul this past year
That we lost
Mr. Harold Williams
We love you, you gone but never forgotten
MJ, what's up!
I ain't know you that long, playboy
But you had an everlasting energy and effect on my life, and those around you
Rest in love, gone but never forgotten
Nate Dogg... wow, Nate Dogg
I miss you
I'm gonna grab my horn

[Saxophone Solo: Terrace Martin]