Mutating hip-hop artist Tricky [ tickets ] and Island Records have agreed to end their relationship, but the label is playing his departure close to the vest.

New Music Express published a short item today suggesting that Tricky (born Adrian Thaws) and Island had agreed to go their separate ways because Tricky's 1999 album ''Juxtapose'' had ''disappointing sales.''

But a publicist at Island, now part of the Universal Music Group, refused to comment.

''Juxtapose'' was Tricky's second release for Island, following 1998's ''Angels with Dirty Faces.'' The latter album was very well-received by cognoscenti and critics, though it was not a mass-market product. The British artist made his first two albums for Polygram Pop/Jazz, hitting the United States in time to be thrown into the ''trip-hop'' pigeonhole, a term which he said was a marketing ploy created by independent labels.

Unlike the response to his first three albums, the reaction to ''Juxtapose'' was fractured. There was a consensus among critics that it was a commercial effort--and even Tricky deemed it ''radio-friendly pop music'' in an interview--but reactions were divided. Some praised the album for retreating from angst-ridden soundscapes and embracing melody and traditional rapper lyrics. But others blasted it as a sell-out to ''fast-food pop audiences'' and declared Tricky ''fraudulent.''

In the long-term, Tricky's departure from Island may mean he will have more creative freedom. Depending on his next choice of label, he could explore new directions with his many influences--from dub, hip-hop, ambient and blues--and his hermetic lyrical sense.

''I can let my career go wherever it wants,'' Tricky told the San Diego Union-Tribune in a 1998 interview. ''Because nobody expects anything from me, except what I want it to be. You have to guide your career, and change your music. Otherwise, you'll always be behind chasing the tide around. I'm lucky--I don't have to follow anything.''