Maxinquaye by Tricky

Maxinquaye is the debut album by English rapper and producer Tricky. It was released on 20 February 1995 by 4th & B'way Records. In the years leading up to the album, Tricky had grown frustrated with his limited role in the musical group Massive Attack and discovered vocalist Martina Topley-Bird, who he felt would offer another dimension to his lyrics. He signed a solo contract with 4th & B'way Records in 1993 and recorded Maxinquaye the following year, primarily at his home studio in London with Topley-Bird as the album's main vocalist. Additional singers included Alison Goldfrapp, Ragga, and Mark Stewart. Maxinquaye was produced by Tricky with assistance from Mark Saunders, who helped him use dub production techniques and heavily altered samples taken from a variety of sources. The record's groove-oriented and low-tempo sound incorporates elements from hip hop, soul, rock, ambient techno, reggae, and experimental music. Its songs explore themes of cultural decline, dysfunctional sexual relationships, fear of intimacy, and recreational drug use; Tricky drew on his experiences in British drug culture and the influence of his late mother Maxine Quaye, after whom the album is titled. Maxinquaye reached the number three position on the United Kingdom's albums chart and sold over 100,000 copies in its first few months of release. 4th & B'way marketed the album by relying on independent record promoters and Tricky's appearances in media, including publicity photographs and music videos that portrayed him and Topley-Bird in gender-bending fashion. Maxinquaye was cited by many journalists as the year's best record and the key release of the burgeoning trip hop genre. Since then, it has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide and ranks frequently on lists of the greatest albums, while regarded as a significant influence on electronica, underground hip hop, and British hip hop.