Trap Jazz

Trap Jazz began in Atlanta, where three best friends — Chris Moten, Cassius Jay, and Devon “Stixx” Taylor — each pursued classical jazz training before finding themselves in demand as session players for some of the world’s top Trap and Hip Hop artists. Their shared foundation in jazz technique, built long before they ever entered a Trap session, shaped the identity that would later define the group.

The turning point came when the trio decided to step out of the supportive shadows of sideman work and into the spotlight. In 2023, their journey became the subject of “Trap Jazz,” a documentary directed by Sadé Joseph and executive produced by Elmo Lovano, Sylvia Zakhary, and Raina Kelly. The film follows their uncertain path and features appearances from Quincy Jones, Lalah Hathaway, Yung Joc, Big Boi, and Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, placing the group’s mission in conversation with legends and innovators across genres.

Each member of the trio shares the conviction that jazz has been slowly losing its identity, and their collective purpose is to bring the genre back to the mainstream through the musical vehicle of Trap. The group frames their work as a love letter to jazz — a chance to give back to the one genre that lives inside their being, whether they fail or succeed in the attempt.

Beyond the screen, the group’s influence reaches into the wider conversation around the hybrid sound: the “trap jazz” label has been claimed by other artists, from Elle Varner, who coined her own “trap jazz” genre while recording her album “Four Letter Word” between 2013 and 2016, to Masego, born in Kingston, Jamaica, whose saxophone-led work embraces the same fusion. The Atlanta trio remains rooted, however, in their own story: classically trained players redefining what jazz can be for a new generation.