Trials (musician) facts for kids

Trials working on an SSL console at Wundenberg Studios in Adelaide, South Australia

Daniel Hendle Rankine (born 24 May 1983), known professionally as Trials, is an Indigenous Australian rapper, songwriter, and record producer hailing from Adelaide, South Australia. In 2020, he signed to Island Records Australia and Universal Music Australia to release his debut solo album.

Trials is a Ngarrindjeri man. His Ancestors are from Raukkan, an Indigenous community at the end of the Murray River near Adelaide.

He has won four ARIA Awards and has been accredited with two double-platinum albums and ten gold albums for his work as a rapper, composer, song writer and producer.

Trials' work includes collaborations, co-writes and production of tracks with a range of artists and genres including Drapht, Gurrumul, Archie Roach, Hilltop Hoods, Pete Murray, Seth Sentry, Illy, DZ Deathrays, Paul Kelly, Thelma Plum, Mo’Ju and Dune Rats.

Early life

Trials was born to a Welsh mother and Ngarrindjeri father.

His parents split up when he was three years old, and he moved to the south of Wales with his mother. He experienced racism being a Black child in a white classroom.

He returned to Australia when he was 12.

In the late 1990s, at the age of 16, Trials was involved in a car accident along with his brothers near their home in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. Trials went through the windscreen of the car and broke his arms. The driver of the other car was speeding and at fault, and gave Trials $5,000. Trials used the money to buy Technics 1200s turntables, a computer and a microphone, which started him on his musical career path.

Music

Trials began his musical career at 16 with Adam Baker (Sesta) and Matt Honson (Hons) collectively known as Funkoars. While the group remain friends, they no longer perform or produce music since 2014 making their catalog unavailable shortly before hand due to personal reasons.

A short time after during the recording of the "Golden Era Mixtape" (a label the pair were signed to individually at the time) Trials began working on demos with his long time associate Briggs that would eventually become the foundations of A.B. Original.

He released his first solo song 'I'm a f**king wreck' in 2020. The song's lyrics are self-deprecating confessional thoughts. The track is a collaboration with US rapper, Daniyel. Daniyel and Trials first worked together collaborating on Daniyel's debut album.

He has produced and composed music for film and TV including programs Cleverman, Looky Looky – Here Comes Cooky, Cargo (Netflix), and The Warriors.

His music has also appeared in advertisements for the MMA, NBL and NBA, as well as fighting and surfing documentaries.

Funkoars

In 1999, MC and producer Trials formed Adelaide hip-hop group, Funkoars, with MCs Adam Baker and Matthew Honson, and former member DJ Daniel Yates (a.k.a. Reflux).

They released their debut album Who’s Your Step Daddy in 2003.

A.B. Original

In the early 2000s, Trials met rapper Briggs at a Funkoars gig at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne. Soon Briggs moved into Trials house and they went on to form acclaimed hip-hop group A.B. Original.

A.B Original received an APRA Award in 2018 for Songwriter Of The Year.

Discography

EPs

Albums

See also

• A.B. Original
• Funkoars

Awards and nominations

APRA Music Awards

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters".

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.