The idea of a white guy from Canada named Snow singing reggae raised plenty of eyebrows when “Informer” came out in 1993.<\/p>\n
Especially since the rise and fall of rapper – some would say novelty act – Vanilla Ice was still fresh in people’s minds.<\/p>\n
But once most ears heard the Toronto dancehall reggae artist’s rapid-fire delivery (the video for “Informer” had subtitles) and smooth singing, there was no denying the music came from a real place.<\/p>\n
His brushes with the law and general tough times in the housing project where he used to live in Toronto added to his mystique.<\/p>\n
Otherwise known as Darrin O’Brien, Snow, 27, has made plenty of trips to Jamaica since dropping his multi-platinum single, “Informer” and his triple platinum (300,000 copies) debut album, 12 Inches Of Snow.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Snow intended to record one song with acclaimed Jamaican reggae producer Tony Kelly (Shaggy, Patra, Maxi Priest) during a visit to Kingston last fall.<\/p>\n
But the vibe was so good, Snow ended up creating six tracks that appear on his third and latest recording, Justuss, released last week.<\/p>\n
Snow and his record company no doubt hope the album will re-ignite interest in the artist, whose second album, Murder Love, was more than 12 inches away from the success of its predecessor. (It’s 50,000 sales registered gold.)<\/p>\n
Besides extensive radio and video play for “Informer” and the album’s subsequent singles, Snow’s debut also received good reviews in the North American rock media, including a rave in Rolling Stone.<\/p>\n
Still, Snow realizes some people will always be skeptical.<\/p>\n
“When ‘Informer’ came out I told people I wasn’t jumping on a bandwagon,” explains the singer.<\/p>\n
“If I wanted to jump on a bandwagon, I’d be doing country music. But reggae, I just love it. I listened to a lot of different styles of music when I was growing up, hip-hop, R & B, rock ‘n’ roll. So that’s why I like to do all different styles in my music.”<\/p>\n
Show’s big break happened very quickly, while he was holed up in New York city, singing on the street and hanging out with Jamaicans, in 1992.<\/p>\n
“Everybody loved my style and said I was good at it, and told me I could make records and videos,” Snow says. “I believed them, but that was because I didn’t have anything else to believe in.”<\/p>\n
Snow’s friend Marvin Prince met rapper MC Shan and asked him to check out Snow. “MC Shan told me later he wasn’t going to come to down to see some white kid from Canada,” Snow recalls.<\/p>\n
“But when he finally met me and asked me to sing, he said, ‘You’ve got to come to my house right away, I’ve got a studio in my basement.’ He was freaking out.”<\/p>\n
They recorded a four-song demo, and within a week Snow not only met his current managers, Steve Salem and David Eng, but also signed a seven-album record deal with EastWest Records.<\/p>\n
Snow, then 19, finally got up the nerve to tell them he faced stabbing charges in Canada. Unable to post bail, he still figured he’d be in jail for a just few months. But he was there for eight.<\/p>\n
“The first time I saw my video I was in jail, and the first time I heard my single on the radio I was in jail.<\/p>\n
“You know, I’m not a threat to society. I’m not into guns and drugs and everything. I got into a couple of bar fights, that’s it. But I’ve got a family now.”<\/p>\n
Acquitted of the charges and now the father of a 2-year-old girl, Snow is still haunted by that part of his past.<\/p>\n
“I have to get special passes so I can go down to the States and work,” says Snow, who recorded a track with singer Mica Paris in L.A. just this month.<\/p>\n
“Why would I want to wreck this? This is my livelihood. It’s the only thing I know how to do.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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