Tricky (rapper) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tricky
Tricky in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Adrian Nicholas Matthews Thaws
Also known as	Tricky Kid Tricky Rock
Born	(1968-01-27) 27 January 1968 (age 57) Bristol, England
Genres	Trip hop electronic experimental hip hop
Occupation(s)	Producer mixer musician vocalist actor
Years active	1985–present
Labels	False Idols Domino Epitaph Island

Adrian Nicholas Matthews Thaws (born January 27, 1968), known as Tricky, is a British musician, producer, and rapper. He was born and grew up in Bristol, England. Tricky started his music journey as an early member of the band Massive Attack. This group included Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall, and Andrew Vowles. Through his work, Tricky became a key figure in the Bristol underground scene. This scene helped create many famous artists and the music style known as trip hop.

Tricky began his solo music career with his first album, Maxinquaye, in 1995. This album brought him much praise. It also started a long partnership with singer Martina Topley-Bird. He released four more studio albums before 2000, like Pre-Millennium Tension and Nearly God, both in 1996. Since 2000, he has released nine more studio albums. His most recent one is Fall to Pieces (2020). In 2016, he performed with Massive Attack again after twenty years, while still working on his solo music.

Tricky is a pioneer of trip hop music. His songs are known for their dark, layered sound. They mix different cultural styles and genres. These include hip hop, alternative rock, and ragga. He has worked with many artists. Some of these include Terry Hall, Björk, Gravediggaz, Alanis Morissette, Grace Jones, and PJ Harvey.

Tricky's Early Life and Beginnings

Tricky was born Adrian Nicholas Matthews Thaws on January 27, 1968. He grew up in Knowle West, Bristol. His mother, Maxine Quaye, passed away when he was four years old. His father, Roy Thaws, ran a sound system called Studio 17. This sound system was very popular in Bristol.

Tricky faced challenges growing up in Knowle West, which was a tough area. He spent his youth living with his grandmother. She often let him watch old horror films instead of going to school. When he was 15, he started writing song lyrics. He learned from his experiences and later said, "Prison was really good. I'm never going back."

Tricky's Music Career Journey

Joining The Wild Bunch and Massive Attack (1987–1994)

In the mid-1980s, Tricky met DJ Milo. He spent time with a music group called the Wild Bunch. By 1987, this group became Massive Attack. Tricky got the nickname "Tricky Kid." At 18, he joined Fresh 4, a rap group that came from the Wild Bunch. He also rapped on Massive Attack's first album, Blue Lines (1991).

In 1991, before Blue Lines came out, he met Martina Topley-Bird in Bristol. She was only 15 but had a great singing voice. They recorded a song called "Aftermath." Tricky showed this song to Massive Attack, but they were not interested. In 1993, he made a few hundred vinyl copies of the song. In 1995, a white label record helped him get a contract with Island Records. This led him to start recording his first solo album, Maxinquaye.

Solo Success and New Sounds (1995–2001)

Tricky performing in 2008

Tricky left Massive Attack to release his first solo album, Maxinquaye. He co-produced it with Mark Saunders. Singer Martina Topley-Bird was a big part of the album. The album was very successful, and Tricky became famous around the world. However, he was not very comfortable with this sudden fame.

A review of Maxinquaye in Rolling Stone magazine said that Tricky mixed many styles. These included American hip-hop, soul, reggae, and 1980s British rock. Authors David Hesmondhalgh and Caspar Melville wrote that Tricky used parts of respected black music like Public Enemy. He also used pop music, like a quote from David Cassidy. Rolling Stone explained that Tricky created a unique dance music style.

Tricky had some lyrics he started for the Massive Attack album Protection. He gave some of his Maxinquaye lyrics to the band instead. This means some songs on both albums have similar lyrics. For example, "Overcome" on Maxinquaye is like "Karmacoma" on Protection. "Hell is 'Round the Corner" on Maxinquaye is like "Eurochild" on Protection. Tricky found it hard to deal with the huge success of Maxinquaye. So, he changed his music style to be more edgy and punk.

In 1996, Neneh Cherry and Björk were guest singers on his second album, Nearly God. The first song on the album was a cover of "Tattoo" by Siouxsie and the Banshees. This song had inspired Tricky's own music style.

In 2001, Tricky's song "Excess" was on the Thirteen Ghosts movie soundtrack. Alanis Morissette sang briefly in two parts of the song. In 2002, this song also appeared on the Queen of the Damned soundtrack.

New Albums and Collaborations (2002–2011)

Tricky at the 2009 INmusic festival in Zagreb, Croatia

Tricky's album Knowle West Boy came out in the UK and Ireland in July 2008. It was released in the US in September 2008. The first song from the album was "Council Estate." Tricky was the only singer on this song. He said, "It's the first single I've ever done with just me on vocals. I wanted to be a proper frontman on that one." In an interview, Tricky said Knowle West Boy was his first album where he used a co-producer. He first chose Bernard Butler, a guitarist from the band Suede. But Tricky later re-recorded all the music himself.

On December 8, 2009, Tricky's 1995 album Maxinquaye was re-released. It came with an extra CD of 13 songs. These included B-sides, outtakes, and seven new mixes of songs like "Overcome."

In December 2009, news spread that Massive Attack met Tricky in Paris. They asked him to work on a new project. Daddy G from Massive Attack said, "Things seem like they've healed between us and Tricky." Tricky agreed to record with the band. In a 2013 interview, he said they made "a couple of songs which are really good." However, Tricky also said he could not spend more than two or three days with Massive Attack.

Tricky's ninth album Mixed Race was released on September 27, 2010. The first song from the album was available on August 23. The album included songs with Franky Riley, Terry Lynn, Bobby Gillespie, and Tricky's youngest brother Marlon Thaws.

In June 2011, Tricky's label, Brownpunk, signed the Mexican band My Black Heart Machine. Tricky co-produced their song "It Beats Like This." My Black Heart Machine also covered Tricky's song "Hell Is Round the Corner."

Tricky produced rapper Omni's album IamOmni (produced by Tricky). It was released on August 30, 2011, as a free download.

Recent Work and Live Shows (2011–Present)

On June 26, 2011, Tricky performed with American singer Beyoncé at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival. He sang on the song "Baby Boy." He later said he was "mortified" by his performance. He felt embarrassed because of microphone problems.

In April 2012, Tricky performed Maxinquaye with Martina Topley-Bird in the UK. He performed in his hometown of Bristol for the first time in years. These concerts often had Tricky bringing his youngest brother, Marlon Thaws, to rap on stage. He also encouraged audience members to join him. A review of a concert in Manchester called it "shambolic." It said Tricky often left the stage and forgot his words. Martina Topley-Bird had to carry the performance.

In February 2013, Tricky announced a new album, False Idols. This album followed his 2010 album Mixed Race. It featured Peter Silberman, Fifi Rong, and Nneka. Tricky said about the album: "This new album I'll stand behind every track. I'm doing what I want to do, which is what I did with my first record."

In spring 2014, Tricky announced he would perform at several festivals in Europe. These included Control Day Out in Romania and Positivus Festival in Latvia.

Tricky announced a new album called Adrian Thaws in June 2014. It was released on September 8, 2014. Skilled Mechanics came out in January 2016. In the same month, a song Tricky wrote with 3D from Massive Attack was released on their EP Ritual Spirit.

His thirteenth album, ununiform, was released on September 22, 2017. It included songs with Asia Argento, Avalon Lurks, and Martina Topley-Bird. It also had a cover of Hole's "Doll Parts." Polish singer Marta Złakowska joined Tricky's band as a guest singer on a 2017 tour.

Blink, a publisher, bought the rights to Tricky's autobiography. The book is currently untitled and will be released in October 2019.

His EP 20,20 was released on March 6, 2020. It featured the song Lonely Dancer with singer Anika. Tricky's next album, Fall to Pieces, came out in September 2020. This album featured singers Marta and Oh Land.

In October 2021, Tricky released a new album under the name 'Lonely Guest'. This album featured collaborations with Lee "Scratch" Perry, Idles' singer Joe Talbot, and Maxïmo Park's Paul Smith. It also had songs with previous singers Marta and Oh Land.

In March 2023, the album When It's Going Wrong was released. It is a collaboration between Tricky and Marta. In April 2023, the German electro pop duo Berlin Banter released the single I'll Wait featuring Tricky.

Other Projects and Acting Roles

Tricky has been a guest on many albums. He appeared on Live's fifth album, V. This happened because Tricky and Live's lead singer Ed Kowalczyk became good friends. Kowalczyk sang on "Evolution Revolution Love," a song on Tricky's album Blowback.

Tricky has also acted in several movies. He had an important role in the 1997 Luc Besson film The Fifth Element. He played "Right Arm," the helper to the bad businessman Mr. Zorg.

He also appeared briefly in the 2004 Olivier Assayas film Clean, playing himself. He had a big role in the music video for "Parabol/Parabola" by Tool. There were rumors he had a small part in John Woo's 1997 movie Face/Off. However, he said this was not true, even though his song "Christiansands" was in the movie. Tricky also played Finn, a musician, in the US TV show Girlfriends.

In mid-2007, Tricky and former Island Records executive Chris Blackwell announced a new record label called Brown Punk. Tricky said, "Brown Punk represents a positive movement where you find intellectuals mixing with the working class, rock mixing with reggae." Some bands signed to the label, but it seems to be inactive now.

Tricky's Unique Style and Media Views

By the time Pre-Millennium Tension was released in 1996, Tricky was getting annoyed with the British press. Especially articles in The Face magazine. The Face had supported Maxinquaye early on. But they saw Tricky more as a duo with Martina Topley-Bird than a solo project.

Tricky has also been concerned about racial stereotyping in the media.

In his music, he often blurs traditional gender roles found in hip-hop. For example, on his first album Maxinquaye, he dressed as a woman on the album cover. This challenges typical ideas about gender. His songs mix different types of music, making a sound that is hard to define. His lyrics also create a more unclear and mixed view of gender.

Tricky's Personal Life

Tricky has said he has "been through a lot." He moved around from family to family and never stayed in one house for long when he was young. He mentioned that his family was "quite dysfunctional."

Tricky has many siblings from his father's side.

He was briefly married to Carmen Ejogo in early 1998 in Las Vegas.

Tricky has a daughter with Martina Topley-Bird, who he met near his home in Bristol.

In 2015, Tricky moved to Berlin, Germany. He later moved to Toulouse, France.

Tricky's Music Releases

Studio Albums

Singles and EPs

1993–2000

2001–Present

Guest Appearances and Production Work

Images for kids

• 

  Tricky performing in Barcelona, 2008