Straight outta Knowle West, Tricky’s always been about culturally mixing it up whether that be society, art or music. Not one to be defined by colour or genre (or even gender for that matter!), he’s boldly gone where the rest of the brothers won’t go to, constantly re-inventing himself and his sound. We’re talking dark, dense, rich and layered, incorporating all the world has to offer and nothing and I mean nothing is off limits. Through all of this he remains distinctly individual, his mercurial style attracting collaborations with music dons like Bjork, Grace Jones, DMX , Neneh Cherry, Terry Hall, PJ Harvey and Elvis Costello. And just when you think you got him figured out he makes a left turn and leaves you choking on his dust! How else would the Tricky Kid end up with South Rakkas Crew?
Born in Jamaica, grown in Toronto, settled in Florida, South Rakkas Crew come with serious credentials producing dancehall giants like Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and Sizzla not to mention remixes for the likes of Bob Marley, Beck, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keyes, Duran Duran and Britney Spears for Christsake! Between all of this they somehow find time to create some of the hottest dancehall riddims currently hitting the decks. The production duo draw on key urban influences from the past four decades, stick ‘em in a Carribean blender then throw in some cosmic keyboard riffs and killa b-lines for flavour.
Tricky Meets South Rakkas Crew is a version excursion of ten tracks from Tricky’s ‘Knowle West Boy’, where electro-dancehall collides with Tricky’s whispering ‘sprechgesang’ lyrical style to create a dancehall filler radio killer soundtrack thriller that seems to touch on all the happening urban sounds from around the globe. We’re talking hip-hop, reggae and rock inna dubstep dancehall style that’s left-of-centre pop for the 21st century. As Tricky says: ‘We come in peace and leave you in pieces’…..
Don Letts 2009