Posts with the: 12 inches of snow tag.

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Snow Storm Returns

Source: Mike Bell, jam.canoe.ca

Canadian reggae hip hop artist Snow (a.k.a. Darrin O’Brien) has battled his demons.

His ghost, on the other hand, he just hangs out with.

“He’s a wicked ghost,” the soft-spoken performer says of the spirit. “Billy would mess with us.”

Billy was a childhood friend of his who died three years ago in the house the musician bought for his own mother. According to Snow, Billy’s ghost now inhabits the attached recording studio where he cut his latest album Mind On The Moon.

Some of the shenanigans attributed to his dear departed friend include playing instruments in other rooms, moving secured microphone stands, and generally insinuating himself into the recording process.

“But now my mother’s moving and selling the house,” says Snow, who plays The Palace tonight.

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Snow Settles In

Source: Chris Lamb, www.teenmusic.com

In 1993 Jurassic Park was a monster movie and the Chicago Bulls NBA champions. Grunge rock was in fine form and airbags were the newest car safety devices since front-wheel drive. 1993 was also enthralled with the relatively new sound of rap and that year’s biggest rap song was undoubtedly Informer, a worldwide number one hit by Snow.

Snow recorded Informer as a troubled youth and his life instantly transformed from troublemaker into pop star. Fame and money followed in the wake of the single, taking Snow around the world to promote and perform his debut album ’12 Inches of Snow.’

Born Darrin O’Brien, Snow grew up in the Allenbury projects in North York, a subsidized neighborhood of the Greater Toronto Area. A school dropout in grade eight, Snow immersed himself in Toronto’s street culture, acquiring a criminal record and an interest in music. Reggae and hip-hop were particular favorites and Snow developed a unique rapping sound that became known in the East Coast music scene. While on vacation in New York Snow began recording ’12 Inches of Snow’ with producer MC Shan.

The album was released and the first single, Informer, found heavy rotation on radio and TV. ‘Informer’ sat at #1 on the Billboard Singles Chart for seven weeks straight in 1993 and is entered into the Guinness Book of World Records twice – as the Biggest Selling Reggae Single in U.S. History and Highest Charting Reggae Single in history.

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After The Snow Falls

Source: Wes Smiderle, www.ottawacitizen.com

After three albums, one seven-year-old hit single, a stint in jail and a new daughter, Snow is eager to embark on a comeback.

The 31-year-old singer is promoting his fourth CD, Mind on the Moon, released earlier this month. Besides being his first new album in more than three years, the disc is also Snow’s debut effort with the EMI-Virgin label.

The new material showcases a noticeably lighter style presented by what is essentially a brand new Snow.

”This is my second chance,” says the singer, who developed his brand of reggae patter while growing up in the ”projects” of North York. ”Everything’s coming together … I’m in positive mode now.”

Although he insists he never considered himself a rapper, Snow established a reputation in the early ’90s for his rapid-fire, gangster-style performance. His first and only major hit was 1993’s Informer, a rap tune delivered in a reggae- style Jamaican patois.

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Snow Signs To Virgin Music Canada

Source: www.chartattack.com

Old skool multi-platinum rapper, Snow has been signed to Virgin Music Canada for a worldwide recording contract. The first record will be released sometime in October, and abroad in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and France with the rest of Europe receiving it later in the spring of 2001.

The first single from Snow is titled, ‘Everybody Wants To Be Like You’ from the untitled record and already has label executives very excited. General manager of Virgin Music Canada, Bill Banham said that he’s very pleased to have Snow on their label where he can be his ‘creative self’ and show off his talent.

Deane Cameron, president of EMI Music Canada said that Snow is developing into a great songwriter and has a very exciting future. Snow had one successful album, 12 Inches of Snow, which was released in 1992 and sold over six million copies worldwide based on the success of ‘Informer.’

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Canadian Rapper Signs With Japan’s JVC Records

Source: Larry LeBlanc, www.billboard.com

Some six years after his Jamaican dancehall-derived single “Informer” topped charts around the world, Canadian artist Snow is putting the finishing touches on a reggae-based pop/rock album that he hopes will return him to the charts.

Even though the follow-ups to that 1993 breakthrough fizzled, Snow is intent on revitalizing his career and wats to let his detractors know that his much-publicized liquor-soaked, hell-raising days are behind him.

“I love [music] and hope I can now have a career at it,” says the soft-spoken Snow, married and with a 3-year-old daughter. “I used to have only one foot in the [music] industry. Now, I want to put two feet in. Eleven months ago, I quit drinking. I’ve realized I have to stay out of trouble and focus on music.”

In March, Snow (real name Darrin O’Brien) signed a deal with JVC Records of Japan, which will release an as-yet-untitled 13-song album in that country and the rest of Asia. Snow is looking to license the album elsewhere.

Recorded at Snow’s home studio, the tracks were produced and written by Snow with longtime New York-based collaborator M.C. Shan and Nashville-based producer/engineer Glenn Rosenstein.

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