Massive Attack are an English trip hop group, founded in 1988 by Robert Del Naja, Grantley Marshall, and Andrew Vowles in Bristol, England. The trio were together prior to the formation of this band, known as The Wild Bunch. With the release of their debut album Blue Lines in 1991, Massive Attack were critically acclaimed for their fusion of jazz, hip hop, rock, and soul elements into a new genre, trip hop. With the release of later albums such as Protection in 1994 and Mezzanine in 1998, the band integrated forms of electronic music into their sound. Their music was part of the larger Bristol underground scene. During their tenure, the group has teamed up with the likes of Madonna, Mos Def, Sinéad O'Connor, Horace Andy, among many others.

Massive Attack began as an offshoot of the popular mid-1980s sound system The Wild Bunch. The core group consisted of three members, Robert Del Naja ("3D"), Grant Marshall ("Daddy G") and Andrew Vowles ("Mushroom"), along with occasional Wild Bunch collaborator (and also Del Naja's roommate) Tricky. In 1988 they released their first single "Any Love", followed in 1991 by their first album, Blue Lines, featuring the hit singles "Unfinished Sympathy" (with Shara Nelson) and "Safe From Harm". The album, which was produced by Cameron McVey, was well-received both critically and commercially. Blue Lines subsequently became one of the most influential British records of the 1990s, ushering in a new genre of music sometimes referred to as the 'Bristol sound', but more often labeled trip-hop, a label Massive Attack have said they dislike.[citation needed] Despite the use of breakbeats, samples, and rap courtesy of Tricky, "Blue Lines" is distinct stylistically from American hip-hop. The music is more complex, layered, and atmospheric, earning the designation of trip-hop, with its unique British tone and aesthetic. The group were prominent in the 1980s Bristol club scene, and are considered pioneers of trip-hop.

Massive Attack's fourth album, 100th Window, which was recorded without Marshall, was released in early 2003. It entered the Top 10 at Number 1 in the UK. In 2004, the band, now consisting of Del Naja, Davidge, and programmer Alex Swift, released an instrumental soundtrack for the feature film Danny the Dog, which was produced by Luc Besson. The film's title was changed to Unleashed prior to the American release, though the album was initially released under the original title as it came out months before the film. 2005 saw the band contribute another soundtrack, this time for the feature film Bullet Boy. Also in 2006, the band released a greatest hits compilation, Collected. The two-disc set includes selected tracks from their studio albums, some rare singles, and two new tracks, "Live with Me" and "False Flags." The DVD layer of the second disc also contains all the group’s music videos to date. Massive Attack also returned to the studio to record a new album, tentatively titled Weather Underground. Of the three original members, Del Naja and Marshall have returned to record the group’s fifth studio album. However, they will not be collaborating with each other extensively. Del Naja will be in one studio with producer Neil Davidge, and Marshall will be working from his own studio on the other side of Bristol. Dot Allison, Horace Andy, Mike Patton, and Mos Def are expected to contribute vocals. Their song "Teardrop" was also used in North America as the theme to the Fox TV series House, MD. "Teardrop" has lyrics, sung by guest vocalist Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins; however, the version used in the opening credits uses only the beginning and ending sections, which are solely instrumental.

In Summer 2008, Massive Attack started touring the songs from the new album. New album is confirmed to be "almost finished", but the release date is not being rushed.