Post month: April 2003

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Bylaw Is Snow Joke To Rapper

Source: Lee Greenberg & Simon Hayter, www.ottawacitizen.com, zaphods.ca

Snow with Zaphod owner Eugene HaslamWhat happens when you mix Ottawa’s strict no-smoking bylaws with an invasion of Canadian music industry types? In at least one case, it was trouble.

Toronto hip hopper/reggae artist Snow showed up at Zaphod Beeblebrox at about 2 a.m. yesterday with a group of leather-clad, Gucci-sunglasses-wearing Missississaugans. They headed straight for the dance floor, and everything was going well until the DJ noticed the smallest member of Snow’s posse was smoking.

‘Security to the DJ booth,’ he called out over the PA.

Snow, whose Two Hands Clapping was nominated for best reggae recording, graciously mugged for photos with anyone who asked.

‘I’d like to remind everyone that smoking is prohibited in the bar,’ the DJ piped up about a minute later. ‘I don’t care if your name is Snow.’

Snow, born Darrin O’Brien and raised in the mean streets of North York, flipped.

‘I don’t smoke, man,’ he screamed as he went after the DJ. ‘I’m not even smoking. Do you see me smoking?’ A 40-something member of Snow’s posse was forced to restrain him.

Half an hour later it was all peace and love as Snow had calmed down enough to sit down with Zaphod owner Eugene Haslam.

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Forecast Calling For Snow

Source: Ashante Infantry, www.thestar.com

Toronto singer Snow back on top with latest disc Nominated for Juno, 10 years after breakthrough

Reggae-pop rapper Snow’s problem is one many singers would love to have: Toronto radio stations have followed “Legal,” the hit song from his latest album Two Hands Clapping, with competing singles.

While Flow 93.5 plays the hip-hop inflected “That’s My Life,” CHUM-FM favours the adult contemporary ballad “Lonely Song” and KISS 92.5 FM spins “Missing You” a melodic urban track.

“It’s confusing for me too,” says Snow. “People come up and tell me they like my new song and I’m like ‘Which one?’ But, I can’t complain if they’re playing them all.”

Especially since his current popularity recalls his 1993 debut 12 Inches Of Snow and its hit track “Informer,” which sold eight million copies worldwide and entered the Guinness Book Of World Records as the biggest selling reggae single and highest charting reggae single in history. Long before the crossover success of Shaggy and Sean Paul, an Irish-Canadian kid held the No.1 spot on Billboard’s singles charts for seven weeks with a dancehall track.

Three moderately successful albums followed and now Two Hands Clapping is up for a Juno for Best Reggae Recording, the category Snow christened nine years ago.

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