Hip Hop, home, and humanity—'trials' on reckoning with his origin story

About this episode

Dan Rankine shares his journey from a rural Welsh village to becoming a respected hip hop artist in Australia, exploring themes of identity and belonging.

Dan Rankine (aka 'trials') was the only little Aboriginal boy living in his rural Welsh village when he woke up shaking from a nightmare. That's when he and his mother knew they needed to go home to Adelaide. Dan is now one of Australia's most respected hip hop producers, writers and rappers. Born in Adelaide, Dan spent his early years on the other side of the world - in the rolling, green hills of rural Wales - with his mum, who had fled there from Dan's violent father in the middle of the night. Far from his Ngarrindjeri connections, and with no one around who looked like him, Dan felt isolated. After an unexplained nightmare, he and his mum decided to move back to Adelaide, where things didn't suddenly become perfect. But a car crash, which could have been tragic, became an incredible turning point in Dan's life, allowing him to buy his first set of turntables. And at 16 years old, Dad set himself on the path to becoming 'trials', performing, writing and producing with and for artists like the Funkoars, Hilltop Hoods, Archie Roach and A.B. Original. Dan has recently stepped out on his own, to release his debut solo album Hendle - something of an origin story, full of honesty…

People in this episode

Guest: Dan Rankine

Topics covered

• hip hop
• identity
• First Nations
• personal story
• music production
• cultural heritage

Keywords

• Dan Rankine
• trials
• hip hop
• Hendle
• Aboriginal
• Adelaide
• music
• identity
• cultural heritage

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ABC Australia, Funkoars, Hilltop Hoods, A.B. Original

Books & works: Hendle

Places: Adelaide, Wales, Ngarrindjeri

More episodes of Conversations

• From party trick to pop star — meet Molly Lewis, professional whistler · June 12, 2026 · 51 min
• Encore: My adventures on the high seas with a fugitive on the run · June 11, 2026 · 50 min
• Algorithms, accountability and the 'manosphere'—empowering men to be the solution · June 10, 2026 · 53 min
• Encore: The remarkable life of Professor Richard Scolyer · June 9, 2026 · 52 min
• How Japanese spirituality can help make everyday life more beautiful · June 8, 2026 · 51 min
• Learning from the mighty matriarchs of the animal kingdom · June 4, 2026 · 52 min