Back in 1993, a ton of Snow descended on the reggae massive, 12 Inches to be exact, as in the title of Snow’s debut album, 12 Inches of Snow, featuring the catchy chart stormer “Informer”. Last year, another blizzard blew in when Murder Love, along with the album’s first single, “Anything For You,” were released.
What’s the forecast for ’96? More Snow. All joking aside, this Irish/Canadian DJ, who chats like a born Jamaican, will be releasing his third album on Motor Jam and EastWest Records come this spring, and will likely embark on his first U.S. tour shortly thereafter.
Ever since 12 Inches of Snow created such a worldwide impact in ’93, Snow’s management team has been rigorously trying to book him a tour here. Although he has entertained crowds from Japan to Jamaica, Snow has continuously been denied a U.S. visa because of his criminal record. However, things are beginning to look bright. It’s a safe bet the U.S. fans can get ready for Snow to head south of the border sometime very soon.
Snow’s teenage years were rife with fighting, drinking and trouble with the law. “At one time I had 13 charges against me,” admitted the 27-year-old entertainer in a recent telephone interview from his Toronto home. “Attempted murder, stabbing, four assaults, breaking and entering, theft. I’ve been charged a lot.” In all, he has been charged 26 times and has spent three-and-a-half years incarcerated.
But that was then. Today, Snow is a changed man. These days instead of breaking the law, he would rather help children who are in need. Snow credits the music and his many visits to Jamaica with helping to change his outlook. “Now I have responsibilities,” he explained. “Before, when I didn’t have the music, I was just drinking and I didn’t care if I went to jail. I didn’t have anything to lose. When the music came along, all these responsibilities came down on me. All these kids were liking me, and I didn’t want to be saying I’m going to jail all the time. Plus my parents were proud of me,” added Snow, who said he has always been close to his loving and supportive family.
Reggae Sunsplash 1993 was his first performance in Jamaica, as well as his first time to the land of wood and water. He was visibly nervous as he took the stage, wary of how the crowd might receive a white man from “foreign” singing their beloved music. His fear quickly faded, however, as the crowd instantly warmed up to him. And when singer Coca Tea joined him on stage he knew he had really been accepted. The trip was such a success that Snow decided to do his entire Murder Love album in jamaica, and now goes down “every other month” and gives impromptu performances all over the island.
“I’ve learned a lot from the people I’ve been around since I’ve been to Jamaica,” stated Snow. “All good and positive stuff. You know what I’m saying?” Two people he’s especially close to are Ninja Man and Junior Reid, who both appear on several of the album’s tracks. “I hang with Ninja when I’m down in Jamaica. So Ninja came into the studio, and I said, “Ninja, come touch something.” “Gold teeth” Ninja adds his golden touch to “Bad Men” and “Rivertown,” a song about the abhorrent living conditions in one of Jamaica’s worst areas. “Me and Ninja went into Rivertown City. We were playing soccer with these kids and sat down and talked to them and started writing about it.”
“I did the video for ‘Anything For You [a duet with his dynamic label mate Nadine Sutherland]’ there, too,” Snow continued. “When I went back there to do the video I brought the kids soccer balls. I like to give back. I like to go to the ghettoes and [perform] and the kids are all around.” Ninja Man makes another appearance on the flip side of the single “Anything For You” — “Si We Dem Nuh Know We” — which features Junior Reid as well. The song soared to No. 1 in Jamaica and was an underground favourite in the U.S. Junior Reid also provides vocals on “Si We Charged For Murder” and “Yesterday”.
“Both of [these artists] add realness to the record because they are my teachers,” Snow said. So does the all-star cast who appears on the remix of “Anything For You,” namely Beenie Man, Buju Banton, Terror Fabolous, Louie Culture and Kulcha Knox. Snow said they gave him plenty of “good vibes.”
Murder Love has sold a half million copies worldwide since it’s release last March; and the first single, “Anything For You” (and the remix), has made it onto numerous Reggae charts around the world. However, the album hasn’t received the commercial radio attention that many expected.
Snow’s not worried about sales figures, though. He never knew that he was going to make music his career. “I do it for the fun of it, not really like hoping this album sells 20 million,” Snow said emphatically. He really doesn’t have too much to be concerned about anyway. After all, the debut album, 12 inches of Snow, sold more than 3 million copies worldwide and went platinum in Canada, Germany, South Africa and Japan. In addition, the song “Informer” remained No. 1 on the Billboard’s Pop singles chart for seven weeks.
When asked why “Informer” was such a hit, Snow replied: “I don’t know. It’s a catchy song. I went away for a little while [in jail charged with assault], and when I came back it was No. 1. I was like, ‘Damn, I didn’t think people were going to like it.'” He wrote the hook for the song in 1991 while he was serving time on murder charges. “I did a year in jail. My friend actually did the crime, but I wouldn’t say who did.”
While Snow, born Darrin O’Brien Oct. 30, 1969, was growing up in Toronto’s tough Allenbury projects, he spent a considerable amount of time listening to music, a hobby shared by many young people. What separated him from his friends, however, was the fact that he liked Reggae. “When I was 14 years old in my neighbourhood there were a lot of Jamaicans, and they used to bring me tapes that nobody else would like but me,” Snow recalled. “I listened to Hip-Hop, but Reggae just grabbed me. Other people are just starting to appreciate it. I’ve been up on it for a long time. It’s great music. It’s free. It makes you feel good.”
“It wasn’t the messages at first,” Snow said, referring to what drew him to the sweet sounds of Reggae. “I didn’t understand them [the lyrics]. It was the music, the bass lines. It was like a game, too, because you have to sit there and say, ‘What is he saying? Rewind. Oh that’s what he’s saying.’ I was excited about it and I caught on.”
Snow’s entrance into the music business came when he met New York producer MC Shan. “I was on Jamaica Avenue in Queens [New York], and MC Shan came up to me and said ‘I heard that you can sing,’ and I sang to him.” Impressed with what he heard, Shan lined Snow up with managers Steve Salem and David Eng of Motor jam Records, who in turn helped create the EastWest connection. What followed was the hit debut album 12 Inches of Snow.
The album Snow is currently working on will be released on the same labels some time this spring. At the time of this writing, he had not completed any of the songs. Still in the “ideas and beats stage,” he’s not sure yet whether any guest artists are going to appear on the album and what kind of themes will be covered, other than it will be positive and will include lots of Hip-Hop and Reggae.
Shortly after the album’s release, Snow will hopefully begin his first U.S. tour. In addition to the U.S., Snow would like to add Ireland and Africa to the long list of countries he has performed in.
Listen up Snow fans, if you can’t catch him while he’s on tour, drop him a line at his fan club: PO Box 503, Bayside, NY 11361. And don’t be surprised if you get a letter back, as Snow says he takes his fans very seriously. You might also want to mention that you’d like to see him in another film. He’s already had a cameo role in the film Klash, starring Jasmine Guy, which was shot in jamaica. “Yeah, you know I’m up for it,” responded Snow when asked if more acting is in his future. “You know I can act. I look like a little Robert De Niro.” Well, OK, we won’t argue with that!
