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Snow Hits On A Cold Night

Source: James Reaney, www.lfpress.com

SnowWith the temperature sliding down toward single digits, it was no problem to see Snow in the forecast at the Western Fair grandstand.

But Snow, the Toronto reggae, hip-hop artist who is Darrin O’Brien when he’s off-stage, had to earn his top spot on the bill after a hot opening set from emergency special guest Kardinal Offishall and his hip-hop crew.

Snow moved up to the closing spot on last night’s bill when soul pop group soulDecision cancelled late Thursday due to transportation problems in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the U.S.

Both singers shared their reaction to the attacks and the emotions they’ve brought out to the crowd, estimated at 600 fans.

Snow stopped his set to say how music stood out against such violence and hatred. ‘We don’t want to do that (hate). We want to do this,’ Snow said. ‘It’s great to have all different races and all different colours together,’ he said, gesturing to his band and then around the audience. (Snow is white and his band includes blacks and whites).

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Darrin O’Brien Is As Sober And Soft As A Snowflake

Source: Marcus Maleus, www.westerngazette.ca

SnowConsidering the inexplicable popularity of Snow’s breakthrough single ‘Informer’ in the early 90s, many thought it would be the beginning and end of commercial success for the rap/reggae musician from Scarborough, Ontario.

Snow, also known as Darrin O’Brien, spent his early days listening to reggae music and attempting to make out the often mumbled lyrics. Growing up in rough and tumble Scarborough gave him realistic inspiration for hard rap/reggae music. Despite this, he insists he never came out with any particularly negative music.

‘Informer,’ the catchy reggae tune riddled with, at times, un-decipherable lyrics, proved to be an astounding success in both Canada and the United States. The song made its way into the Guinness Book of World Records twice. Once, as the highest selling reggae single in United States history and again as the highest charting reggae single in United Kingdom history.

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The Past, Present And The Future Of Ghetto Concept

Source: Thomas Quinlan, www.peacemagazine.com

Peace Magazine photoshoot“Any successful writer will tell you that they write about what they know, and that’s what we do.” – Dolo, Ghetto Concept

“We’re just something that’s meant to be,” says Kwajo Cinqo of his relationship with Dolo Da Gooch as Ghetto Concept. “We did our first show together and from that we clicked on.” “It just came together so well,” Dolo agrees. “It was the perfect composition, so it was like, we couldn’t fight that.”

So they didn’t. Like many aspiring young rappers, the two cut their chops at talent shows and high school cyphers, Kwajo in Rexdale and Dolo in the Bathurst and Lawrence area nicknamed the Jungle. It’s Jungle Rap Offs around 1992 and 1993, with performances from acts like Frogger and Superior J, that both claim were very influential for them.

“That’s where rappers from Jane and Finch, Jungle, all over Toronto used to come and spit, do performances and stuff like that,” says Kwajo. “That’s what’s monumental about Jungle and hip hop. I mean, back in the days there was really no other area putting it down like that.”

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Snow Cuts Track With David Usher

Source: www.hmv.com

David UsherWhen Moist frontman and lead scribe David Usher first decided to venture off into temporary solitude to try his hand at the ever-dubious solo album, the result was 1998’s aptly-dubbed Little Songs.

Full of stripped down, acousticized compositions, it was intended to be something of a discreet outing for the erstwhile star, nothing more than a compact, no-frills vehicle for another gush of Usher’s seemingly endless wealth of songs … That was the plan, anyways.

Alas, a lot can happen in three years. Doubly so if you’re as creatively charged as Usher seems to be. After Little Songs exceeded expectations (and spawned a few modest radio successes in the process), Usher promptly retreated back into the studio with his bandmates to pen Moist’s third album, 1999’s Mercedes Five And Dime. After the rigours of the ensuing tour subsided, Usher again found himself with some spare time. But, rather than doing the natural thing (ie. bumming off to some tropical island for a prolonged rest), Usher did the unspeakable. He called up a few of his friends (a veritable who’s who of major players from the Canadian music industry) and charged back into the studio to commence work on his second solo album.

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Nuff Respect To The Man Called Snow

Source: Gavin Power, Rosco Magazine

He’s been called a lot of things over the years: a murderer, a drunk, an abuser, but nothing hurts Darrin O’Brien, a.k.a. Snow, more than a comparison to Vanilla Ice. Ouch.

Both had hits around the same time. Vanilla with his Ice Ice Baby, and Snow with Informer. Both are white and both were singing black. But that’s where the comparison ends. Over a coffee on Front street, Snow, who’s made a comeback with his new album Mind on the Moon, explains why Vanilla Ice has always been whack.

‘There was a lot of talk about that guy and I always felt a little sorry for him because they (the people around him) made him into that guy. And then he shot his mouth off saying that he grew up hard and all that. It was just lies.’

Darrin did grow up hard. He was raised in a housing project at Don Mills and Sheppard where everybody was getting drunk and fighting all the time. ‘My world was kind of small back then,’ he says as he fidgets with the black toque that he’s pulled down over his ears. ‘That was kind of all that I knew.’

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