He is noted for an asthmatic whispering lyrical style that is half-rapped, half-sung. As a producer and a musician he is known for having an aversion to perfection preferring to build up a dark, rich and layered sound. Culturally, Tricky bridges white and black Britain particularly in his fusion of rock and hip-hop, high art and pop culture. He drew his influences from rap (Public Enemy) to post-punk (he covered a Siouxsie and the Banshees's song Tattoo).
Throughout his work, Tricky blurs the normally clear sexual definitions found within hip hop. Despite the heavy influence he drew from American hip hop in his debut album, Maxinquaye, he fights against typical sexual representations by, for example, dressing as a woman on the side sleeve of his album cover. Within many of his tracks he blends elements of varying types of music, and use his lyrics to create a much more ambiguous and blurry reality of sexuality.
Maxinquaye remains his most commercially and critically successful album to date. About it, Tricky originally said in an interview with Raygun in October 1996 that he wanted to make an 'out-an-out punk record' and that "I thought it was going be heavier. I thought it was just going to be an out-an-out punk record. But you end up straying. What I wanted to do was a total fast album. Some of the tracks are fast and hard, but they didn't come out like that." He also said that he hated being stuck with the trip-hop tag so "That's why I did Nearly God, and that's why I did Pre-Millennium Tension. You can't see them as trip-hop albums. So I just keep running away from it. But the farther you run, it's still there. They'll find you." Ever since, Tricky' style has evolved away from obscure, sample-based textures to a more contemporary, electronic sound.
Tricky was in Massive Attack and appeared in the movie The Fifth Element as well as the music video for Parabola by Tool. He has collaborated extensively with other artists on tracks on his various releases, including Bjork, Alanis Morissette, Cyndi Lauper, Anthony Kiedis , John Frusciante and Flea (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers), Martina Topley-Bird, and Alison Goldfrapp of Goldfrapp also many others.
After his initial success in the latter 1990's, he started his own label called Durban Poison. Currently he is heading a new imprint called Brown Punk.
Chaos
Tricky Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's been waiting for that special someone
Anguished by the tears left behind them
Fortifying all that lying
Putrid taste left in her mouth
Chorus :
Ambersunshower :
Follow me, follow me
Down
Follow me, follow me
Down
Tricky :
Yeah, c'mon
Let's do the maniac
Maniac, bumping like a brainiac
Brainiac, I don't remember [?]
Land me down, touch me down at heathrow
Reach down, the first time I ever feel
Bouncers [face?] on 57th st
Calm down, I feel a cool breeze and
Not particular
I think I found a reason
[For I saw?] what I saw
Ambersunshower :
She's been waiting for that special someone
But then look what she's got left
Fortifying all that lyingputrid taste left in her mouth
Chorus :
(Ambersunshower sings while Tricky raps)
Ambersunshower :
Follow me, follow me
Down
Follow me, follow me
Down
Tricky :
Yeah, c'mon
Let's do the maniac
Maniac, bumping like a brainiac
Brainiac, I don't remember [?]
Land me down, touch me down at heathrow
Reach down, the first time I ever feel
Bouncers [face?] on 57th st
Calm down, I feel a cool breeze and
Not particular
I think I found a reason
[For I saw?] what I saw
A: contamination cramps the surface
Blood runs cooler than you flow
She is hiding smiles behind whispers and tears
Chaos reaches higher ground
Ambersunshower :
Chaos, chaos, chaos
Ambersunshower :
Follow me, follow me
Down
Follow me, follow me
Down
The song Chaos by Tricky featuring Ambersunshower explores themes of waiting, deception and turmoil in relationships. The song opens with Ambersunshower waiting for that special someone, but instead feeling anguished and left with a putrid taste in her mouth. This may be interpreted as her being let down by someone who left her with an unfavorable impression. The chorus is a repetition of Ambersunshower's plea to follow her down, and this could represent her trying to draw the listener into the confusion of her emotional state.
Tricky's rap verse is a reflection of his experiences with chaos and mania. He speaks of feeling like a brainiac, and not remembering what happened. He mentions Heathrow airport and the bouncers at 57th street, which could signify his globe-trotting lifestyle performing on tour. He also speaks of feeling a cool breeze and finding a reason for what he saw. This could symbolize a moment of clarity amid the chaos, which could also mean that he has found a purpose in his life while performing.
The refrain of the song is a repetition of the word "chaos" by Ambersunshower. This underscores the central message of the song, that chaos reaches higher ground, and it is up to the listener to decide if this is positive or negative. The allusion to the chaos theory could suggest that every action, no matter how small, could lead to profound consequences. The song's overall meaning could be interpreted as a warning against the dangers of being led by emotions instead of reason.
Line by Line Meaning
She's been waiting for that special someone
The subject has been anticipating meeting someone who is significant to them
Anguished by the tears left behind them
The subject is in great emotional pain due to the memories connected to those tears
Fortifying all that lying
The act of lying is being protected or intentionally strengthened by the subject
Putrid taste left in her mouth
The subject is left with a horrible aftertaste connected to a particular experience
A: contamination cramps the surface
Some sort of pollution is affecting the uppermost layer of something
Blood runs cooler than you flow
The subject's blood is metaphorically colder than someone else's
She is hiding smiles behind whispers and tears
The subject is concealing their joy with soft spoken words and crying
Chaos reaches higher ground
The confusion and disorder is intensifying and affecting more people or places
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MATTHEW LAMBERT, DANIEL SMITH, DANIEL RANKINE, JOSEPH LARDNER, FUAD OUDIH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Agent Marks
Tricky: The class clown
Whitty: The school kid with a short temper
Sky: The popular girl
Bob: That one kid in the back seat
Shaggy: The kid in the class who is respected by everyone
Zardy: The chill kid
Spirit: The edge goth kid thinking he’s a ghost
Boyfriend: The new student
Tordbot: The smart kid with his invention
Pico: The school shooter
Hex: The computer teacher’s pet
Tabi: The troublemaker
Ruv: The quiet but badass kid
A.G.O.T.I: The kid who decided to join the fight
Hank: The class clown hater
Matt: The bald kid
Garcello: The kid left in the back
Geography Axolotlツ
Everyone's roles:
Tricky: Is gonna rap battle anybody because he wants a cookie
Shaggy: is actually training bf so he can beat any body
Bob: he is actually the commander of Tricky's team and is the best spammer
Hank: Wants to rip tricky to shreds cause of 3 times dying to him
Pico: teaming up with bf and is computing to hack the tordbot and crash
Sunday: she is not opening her eyes but he is in bf's team
Ruv: Wants to turn on his mic but he knows that it will be a loud earthquake
Garcello: Just wants to cough in a war
Hex: got a virus in nevada while hanging out with whitty
Whitty (me): got ballistic cause ballistic is my true form
Zardy: still upset at bf and gf for passing his maze
Tabi: wanted to kill bf and gf and gf's father that turned him into an invisible man
Senpai: wants to take gf back by killing bf
Agoti: will team up with tabi cuz theyr best friends
Matt: will team up with shaggy because they are friends
Tord: he said he was coming to the war instead of him he brought his giant robot too
The people watching:
Carol: scared because whitty got ballistic
Gf: scared cause tabi vs bf in the war
Sarv: tired because of trying to be in the battle so she called ruvyzsvat
Scooby: he thought he was in the mansion and shaggy is holding him
Opheebop: confused why is she carrying scooby
Cubism_2
Tricky’s class vs Boyfriend’s class:
Tricky’s class:
Tricky: He and Hank went to the same old school.
Zardy: The kid who’s obsessed with Halloween
Sunday: The girl who likes rock music
Senpai: The lonely kid
Bob: The one who loves drawing
Tord: The kid obsessed with robots
Tabi & AGOTI: Have anger issues, but are best friends
Boyfriend’s class:
Boyfriend: The most popular in the class
Pico: That kid who loves guns
Matt: The sporty kid
Hank: Went to same old school as Tricky
Ruv: The Russian classmate
Whitty: The kid with anger issues
Hex: The one who loves robots on Boyfriend’s side
Shaggy: The powerful one
Garcello: The depressed kid
TheZoroForce240
might need to reduce the amount of notes at the end lol
Flame9000
Ikr
zPixel
please do it
TheToastedOne
Perhaps
Mason Abbott
Hmmmm
invisible raised.
Can you update the hank? It should be a MAG hank with robotic hands. Tricky from Expurgation is madness combat 11
Jay & Vir
As someone who is actually trying to learn to play 9k unironically (can beat God Eater casually by now)
God damn that note skin is so cool yet also so hard to read. Though with the extremely colorful background of characters, I can actually understand why it's easier to read in this case.
King Nexus MOCs
God Eater? You mean that edgy tryhard Monster Hunter clone?
Pich Plays
i deffinetly mastered 6K tho im working on fcing kaio ken
lostime
i love how each part corresponds to the gameplay of that person, like Matt rapping in back-and-forth jacks, and Bob rapping crazy spam notes