Tricky

Highest Rated: 73% Clean (2004)

Lowest Rated: 71% The Fifth Element (1997)

Birthday: Jan 27, 1968

Birthplace: Knowle West, Bristol, England, UK

Adrian "Tricky" Thaws' deft mix of funk, dub, metal, art rock and trip hop -- with a touch of Tom Waits for good measure -- pushed the artist to hit the ground running as soon as his first album dropped. This musician's musician was such a rarity -- utterly original and dedicated to experimentation -- that he was sought after as a collaborator by musical intellectuals and innovators as far-flung as Björk, Public Enemy's Chuck D, Yoko Ono, Beyoncé Knowles, and Elvis Costello.