Exploring Tricky & Maxinquaye: The 90s Bowie?

Tricky—once part of Bristol’s Massive Attack crew—ditched the “trip-hop” label to cook up a dark, paranoid blend of soul, downtempo hip-hop and dub reggae with singer Martina Topley-Bird. His debut Maxinquaye, born from heavy trauma, addiction and raw melancholy, rewrote the rules for British hip-hop and even earned nods from David Bowie.

Despite its game-changing vibe, Maxinquaye’s shadowy, genre-bending sound was quickly co-opted and “safe-ified” for radio. This doc dives into Tricky’s early days, the making and release of his landmark album, and the wild aftermath of one of the ’90s most defiantly original records.

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