Quick Facts
Biography
Theophilus Martins III is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, actor, DJ, and fashion designer. Known for his personal style, he has been described as, "[a man that] marches to the beat of his own drum". His EP, You Can't Do That on Television, received major attention, drawing praise from AOL, GQ magazine and The Washington Post. Martins began his early career as a child actor landing a role in Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-nominated film, Amistad.
In 2015 Martins founded Good Posture, a media venture that encompasses entertainment, music, fashion, and art. As a multimedia creative collective and record label the company serves as an umbrella for all of Martins’ endeavors.
In 2017 Martins opened Cereal & Such, a breakfast cereal bar in the Virgil Village area of Los Angeles. He created The Theo Show, an Instagram web series told through the experiences of a modern-day first-generation Nigerian-American.
Career
During his freshmen year of high school, Martins purchased his first set of turntables. Through this purchase he later gained local fame traveling as a tour DJ for Chris Brown, Rakim, Lloyd banks, Cassidy and others. After minor success as a DJ, Martins wanted to pursue his career as a rapper and solo artist. Partnering with Okayplayer, a website co-founded by Amir "Questlove" Thompson, Martins presented his debut mixtape,The Birth.
Early 2009 saw Theophilus appearing as an opening act for rapper Drake, while the rest of 2009 was spent touring with West-Coast Hip-Hop legend Warren G, U-N-I and Kidz in the hall for G's "G-Files" tour, with 22 dates nation-wide.
In Spring of 2010 Martins collaborated with Ohio-producer $port for the release of their collaborative EP, You Can't Do That on Television, which landed Theophilus as Prefix Magazine's, "Artist To Watch" and AOL's, "Need To Know" artist.The mixtape drew press from Hip-Hop mega-site Rap Radar, Complex magazine and MTV. Martins was invited to perform alongside Lloyd Banks at his "Hunger For More 2" album release at New York City's Best Buy Theatre.
In the summer of 2011 Martins traveled to Asia to support Malaysian artist Mizz Nina on her International leg of her Homecoming Tour. The two would go on to perform their collaborative effort, “Let Me C U Get It” together in Kota Kinabalu. Following his return to the United States, Martins’ recorded "Take off Your Cool" (a remake of Andre 3000's original take ) as part of New York City's lifestyle website, Street Etiquette'sSartorial Sounds: Style and Music Editorial.
After relocating to Los Angeles, Martins revealed he would be working on his debut album, Wonderland. He released his debut album exclusively on iTunes October 16, 2012, and informed the public that the music video for his single "KILLER" would be premiering on BET's 106 & Park. The video, directed by Jon Jon Augustavo, known for his breakout music videos "Thrift Shop" & "Same Love" for Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, went on to air on January 4, 2013.
In the Fall of 2013 Martins announced he would be headlining his first tour titled, The 64 Tour. The 64 Tour, which spanned 15 dates throughout the North East, was introduced as a "Social Interactive tour", where Martins, accompanied with a Nintendo 64 Console, challenged fans in numerous games after his performance. Traveling through Washington, D.C, Philadelphia & Atlanta and collaborating with Fool's Gold Records, &Mad Decent Records the tour drew attention. With a secret performance closing the tour in Rhode Island, the show saw a surprise appearance from Playboy Playmate Traci Bingham.
Upon returning from the tour, Theophilus was featured on BET 106 & Park's The Backroom.
In 2015, Martins had collaborated with Chicago, Illinois producer Thelonious Martin. The two began collaborating after confusion over similarities between their names became incessant. "Show Me Around", which debuted on Okayplayer was warmly received and the two began work on a full length. "Bad Tendencies" premiered on The Fader September 28, 2016 and the two announced a collaborative EP. Martins cites Odd Future member Anwar Carrots as the fuel behind collaborating with Martin.
The Theo Show
Martins web series, The Theo Show debuted on Snapchat in 2016, later moving to Instagram Video. The show follows the life of Theo and his acquaintances through their minutiae daily activities. The story is told through the experience of a modern-day first generation Nigerian-American man.
Influences
Martins' influences include Jay Z, Kanye West, Andre 3000, Pharrell Williams, Lauryn Hill & Will Smith
Discography
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2008 | The Birth |
| 2010 | You Can't Do That On Television |
| 2012 | Wonderland |
| 2014 | Doing It For Television |
| 2017 | "™" |