Darrin Kenneth O'Brien (born October 30, 1969), known by his stage name Snow, is a Canadian

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

musician. His 1992 single "

Informer An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a "snitch", "rat", "canary", "stool pigeon", "stoolie", "tout" or "grass", among other terms) is a person who provides privileged information, or (usually damaging) information inten ...

" spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.''Billboard''

Allmusic.com AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the data ...

(Retrieved March 3, 2010)

Early life, family and education

Darrin Kenneth O'Brien was born on October 30, 1969, in

North York North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northern area of Toronto, centred around Yonge Street, north of Ontario Highway 401. It is bounded by ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

(now part of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

), one of three children born to an Irish-Canadian cabdriver and a homemaker. As a child, American musician

Rick James James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in his tee ...

served as Snow's babysitter. James was dating a friend's mother at the time. Snow is cousins with both NHL Hall of Famer

Brad Park Douglas Bradford Park (born July 6, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A defenceman, Park played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. Considered to be one of th ...

and musician

Steven Page Steven Jay Page (born June 22, 1970) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was a founding member, lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the music group Barenaked Ladies. Page left the band in February ...

. Following his parents' divorce, he was raised by his mother in the Allenbury Gardens

public housing project Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a combination thereof ...

where he became fascinated with the gangster lifestyle. He became involved in a cycle of fighting, drinking and stealing. He never learned to read properly and dropped out of school while in the 9th grade. Growing up he had a strong interest in

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

, but after an influx of Jamaican immigrants moved to the neighborhood in 1983, his interest turned to

music, and he became adept at the use of the Jamaican dialect (

Jamaican Patois Jamaican Patois (; locally rendered Patwah and called Jamaican Creole by linguists) is an English-based creole language with influences from West African, Arawak, Spanish and other languages, spoken primarily in Jamaica and among the Jamaican ...

. He developed his own style of music, by blending

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

and reggae with rock and

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

. In 1987, Snow served eight months of a one-year sentence after pleading guilty to beating a person with a

crowbar A crowbar, also called a wrecking bar, pry bar or prybar, pinch-bar, or occasionally a prise bar or prisebar, colloquially gooseneck, or pig bar, or in Australia a jemmy, is a lever consisting of a metal bar with a single curved end and flat ...

during a bar brawl. In 1988, Snow was involved in an incident at a North York pub in which two people were stabbed "in the lane"; he was accused, and was subsequently charged with two counts of attempted murder. Snow served eight months in jail before a jury acquitted him on both counts. While he was in jail, he wrote music, which he performed for fellow inmates. "Informer" was one of the songs he wrote during his incarceration.

Career

On a trip to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, Prince was able to pitch Snow's music to rap star

M.C. Shan Shawn Moltke (born September 6, 1965), better known by his stage name MC Shan, is an American rapper, singer and record producer from New York City. He is best known for his guest appearance and production on Canadian singer Snow's 1992 single "I ...

. In 1991, Snow went to New York, where Shan introduced him to music producers David Eng and Steve Salem. Snow signed a contract to record on their Motorjam/ Elektra record label, then they recorded his debut album '' 12 Inches of Snow''. Due to Snow's impending return to prison, the album was recorded very quickly. ''12 Inches of Snow'' was released in 1992, while Snow was in prison. Shan, Eng, Salem, and Prince promoted it and, by the time Snow was released from prison, the single "

" was a chart-topping hit. ''12 Inches of Snow'' sold over 8 million copies worldwide, with the "Informer" single remaining number 1 on the American ''Billboard'' charts for seven consecutive weeks. "Informer" has been recorded twice in the ''

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

'' as the best-selling reggae single in US history, as well as the highest charting reggae single in history. A second single, "Girl I've Been Hurt", reached Number 19 on the Hot 100. In Japan, Snow received the

Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pro ...

's 1994

Japan Gold Disc Award The is an award presented by the Record music Industry Association of Japan in the field of music. The Japan Gold Disc Awards have multiple Grand Prix categories, including: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year (download and ...

for New Artist of the Year.

Origin of stage name

After one of Snow's neighbouring Jamaican families first introduced him to reggae, Snow began borrowing and ordering reggae dub tapes to perform over. Meaning "Superb Notorious Outrageous Whiteboy". Snow never claimed the title himself, but did continue to perform with the stage name "Snow".

Legal disputes over production of ''12 Inches of Snow''

While touring as Snow's DJ in December 1994, Marvin Prince abruptly left the tour after discovering that Snow, according to court documents, "was receiving more money from management than he was." While listed as only the writer of the song "Runway" on the ''12 Inches of Snow'' album, Prince claimed to have co-written five songs and co-produced the album with Shan, Eng, and Salem. Prince alleged that Eng and Salem provided "a draft of a multi-album production and recording agreement" to both Snow and himself. Unable to understand the contract, Snow allegedly "sent a copy to his mother to get legal advice from her friend" and Prince "never saw the agreement again." Moreover, Prince claimed to have entered an "oral agreement" with Snow implying that the two would share profits from the album "fifty-fifty". The first agreement, Prince alleged, occurred "in 1990, when the two men began working together on songs in Prince's basement and he "allegedly suggested to" Snow, "if something comes out of this, let's be partners." The second oral agreement, according to Prince, took place in August 1991 while Snow auditioned for Shan. Snow referred to Prince as his partner in a promotional video, but claimed to have used the term "only in the slang sense." Prince "admitted that these discussions were not concrete; the parties never organized a formal business plan, nor was plaintiff in New York to advance defendant's career." Shan, Eng, and Salem testified that they were unaware of a partnership between Snow and Prince, and Shan denied that Prince co-produced ''12 Inches of Snow'' and co-wrote the five songs in question. "Informer", for example, was officially written by Snow, Shan, and composer Edmond Leary. Years later, after Snow and Prince had their falling out, Prince unsuccessfully sued Snow for compensation. While Prince had initially been awarded a $1.5 million settlement by a jury, the court overturned the original ruling and dismissed Prince's suit on the grounds that he had "no viable claims" to a partnership with Snow. In a 2019 interview, Prince recounted his history with Snow and described how he mentored, recorded demos for, scheduled showcase performances for, and ultimately, arranged for Snow to audition for MC Shan. Prince recounted how he and Snow wrote "Informer" over the phone while Snow was serving his sentence at

Maplehurst Correctional Complex Maplehurst Correctional Complex () is a correctional facility located in Milton, Ontario for women and men 18 years of age and older. It is a combined maximum security detention centre for remanded prisoners, and medium/maximum correctional cent ...

. Prince recalled playing

Junior Reid Delroy "Junior" Reid (born 6 June 1963) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. From 1986 to 1988, he served as lead vocalist for the reggae band Black Uhuru on three albums: '' Brutal'' (1986), '' Positive'' (1987), and ''Black Uhuru Live i ...

's "Foreign Mind" over the phone, and Snow used the track's flute melody as the basis for "Informer". Parts of the first verse and third verse of "Informer", according to Prince, were reworked from Eek-A-Mouse's performance of "Tell Them" at Sunsplash 1981. Originally, Prince alleges, the final verse of "Informer" was written and performed by a second vocalist named "Little Red". Prince maintains that the judge who overturned the original ruling did so illegally, and he believes race played a role in the judge's decision. Co-producer and co-writer Edmond Leary later claimed M.C. Shan unfairly received most of the production credits for ''12 Inches of Snow''. He told

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

, "So actually, if you want the truth of the matter, if we hadn't done it equally and had to split up the money I would have gotten 70% of writer's oyaltiesoff that album they probably would have split up 30, because I wrote most of that album. Most of the words were mine, and the ideas and structures and backgrounds in the vocal booth with me telling him what keys to sing the harmonies in and what have you. So I had a lot to do with that sound that became so popular and went Platinum." After struggling with a cocaine addiction and homelessness, in 2013 Leary was a

street performer Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

Madison Square Park Madison Square is a public square formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The square was named for Founding Father James Madison, the fourth president of the United St ...

and Union Square.

International success

In 1994, Snow collaborated with

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

Junior Vasquez Junior Vasquez (born Donald Gregory Mattern; August 24, 1949) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He has been referred to as one of the only DJs of his time to gain international attention. Career Mattern moved to New York City a ...

's ''Homegrown'' and

Sly and Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separat ...

's ''Pop Goes the Dancehall'' remix of "

Girls Just Want to Have Fun "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is a single made famous in 1983 by the American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, written by Robert Hazard in 1979, with some of the lyrics changed by Lauper. It was released by Portrait Records as Lauper's debut s ...

", retitled "Hey Now (Girls Just Want to Have Fun)". Eng had a studio in Jamaica and, in 1994, Snow recorded his second album ''Murder Love'' in Jamaica, Canada, and New York. While not a commercial success in North America, the album featured Snow performing with reggae and dancehall musicians

Ninjaman Desmond John Ballentine (born 24 January 1966), better known as Ninjaman, and sometimes as Don Gorgon is a Jamaican dancehall deejay, known for his controversial, pro-gun lyrics, his stuttering and melodramatic style. In 2017, he received a life ...

Half Pint Lindon Andrew Roberts (born 11 November 1961),Josephs, Karla (2012)Big deal for Half Pint", ''Jamaica Observer'', 7 June 2012, retrieved 8 June 2012 professionally known as Half Pint, is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. Biograp ...

Buju Banton Mark Anthony Myrie (born 15 July 1973),Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, known professionally as Buju Banton, is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. He is one of the most significant and well-re ...

Beenie Man Moses Anthony Davis OD (born 22 August 1973), professionally known as Beenie Man, is a Jamaican dancehall deejay. His awards include DJ of the Year Award eight years in a row. His twelfth studio album '' Art and Life'' received a Grammy Award ...

, Dave Kelly, and

. The " Anything for You" remix became a club favorite and, according to ''Billboards Elena Oumano, made Snow a figure of respect on the Jamaican music scene. "Anything For You" became the top-selling single in Jamaica in 1995 and " Si Wi Dem Nuh Know We" also reached the number one slot in Jamaica. ''Murder Love'' proved to be a popular album in Asia, with the single " Sexy Girl" remaining on Japan's Top Singles chart for 16 weeks, ultimately reaching number one. The success of ''Murder Love'' allowed Snow to tour Asia and collaborate with Thai rap artist

Joey Boy Apisit Opasaimlikit (, ; born 1974), known by his stage name Joey Boy (), is a Thai hip hop singer and producer known as the Godfather of Thai Hip Hop. Biography Born into a Thai Chinese family, Apisit started listening to hip hop when he ...

. In 1996, Eng established an office in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, founded Dimsum Entertainment, and included Snow in this expansion. In 1996, Eng produced Joey Boy's album ''Fun, Fun, Fun''. Snow performed on the chart-topping Thai single "Fun, Fun, Fun" and appeared in the music video. Joey Boy appeared on Snow's Thai single "Me and Joey". In 2008, Snow also featured Joey Boy on the track "Catch a Kick". By the end of 1996, ''Murder Loves "Si We Dem Nuh Know We" received a Juno nomination for Best Reggae Recording. Overall, the album produced three music videos: " Anything For You", "Anything For You (All Star Cast Remix)", and "Sexy Girl". In the 1995 film ''Klash'', Snow appears performing "Rivertown". Snow followed up ''Murder Love'' with an album named after his daughter, ''Justuss''. The first single " Boom Boom Boogie" took Asia by storm, achieving gold status with the music video appearing on MTV Japan five to six times a day. Released in the United States and Canada in 1997, the single "If This World Were Mine" failed to chart but the video regularly appeared on The Box. The album reached number 12 on the U.S. reggae charts and in 1998 was nominated for Best Reggae album at the

Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...

in Vancouver, British Columbia. In late 1997, Snow released a "Greatest Hits" compilation, called ''The Greatest Hits of Snow''. In 1999, Snow reunited with M.C. Shan, producing the album ''

Cooler Conditions ''Cooler Conditions'' is the fourth studio album by Canada, Canadian reggae musician Snow (musician), Snow. Released only in Japan, many of the tracks later appeared on the more widely released ''Mind on the Moon'' album. The tracks ''Someday So ...

'' in Japan. The only single, "The Plumb Song", spent eight weeks on the Japan Singles chart, peaking at number 27. It was recorded at

Metalworks Studios Metalworks Studios is a music recording studio in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1978 by Gil Moore of the Canadian rock group, Triumph (band), Triumph. Since 1978, Metalworks Studios has expanded into a six studio facility ...

Mississauga, Ontario Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

Return to the Canadian charts

In 2000, Snow signed to Virgin Music Canada. Later that year, he released the album '' Mind on the Moon''. The single " Everybody Wants to Be Like You" landed Snow back on the Canadian Singles chart and earned him three Juno nominations. In 2002, Snow worked with

Shaggy Shaggy may refer to: People *Shaggy (musician) (born 1968), Jamaican American reggae rapper and singer *Shaggy 2 Dope, half of the hip hop, horrorcore band Insane Clown Posse *Shaggy Flores (born 1973), Nuyorican poet, writer and African diaspora ...

and

Blu Cantrell Tiffany Cobb (born March 16, 1976), known professionally as Blu Cantrell, is an American contemporary R&B, R&B singer. Cantrell rose to fame in 2001, with the release of her debut single, "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)", which peaked at number two ...

's producer to record '' Two Hands Clapping''. "

Legal Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a Socia ...

", the first single, reached number 13 on the

Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian music charts are a collection of record charts reflecting the music consumption of people in Canada. '' RPM'' and '' Billboard'' are the biggest publications to have published Canada's official charts for decades. However, the first ...

2013–present

In 2013, after

Yahoo Yahoo (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web portal that provides the search engine Yahoo Search and related services including My Yahoo, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, y!entertainment, yahoo!life, an ...

CEO Marissa Mayer complained about the company's "hold" music during a fourth-quarter earnings call, Snow and the Jingle Punks recorded a much publicized jingle for Yahoo. The lyrics went, "You're on hold / Hold on at Yahoo / Gimme a second while I patch you through," goes the first verse. "The CEO didn't like the hold music / So Daddy Snow wrote this jam for you." In summer 2014 while in Miami, Florida, Snow signed with Bugatti Music Entertainment and teamed up with Grammy-winning producers

Cool & Dre Cool & Dre are a record production and songwriting duo from North Miami, Florida, consisting of Marcello "Cool" Antonio Valenzano and Andre "Dre" Christopher Lyon. The duo were first discovered by New York rapper Fat Joe and began their career ...

, Kent Jones and

Scott Storch Scott Spencer Storch (born December 16, 1973) is an American record producer and songwriter. Storch began his career as part of Philadelphia-based hip hop band the Roots, which he joined as a keyboardist prior to the release of their 1993 debut a ...

and began recording again. On October 2, 2014, Snow's new single "Shame" was released, featuring Mykal Rose (

Black Uhuru Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru ( Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful pe ...

). On October 11, 2014, Snow announced that all proceeds from "Shame" will be donated to the fight against cancer. On June 19, 2017, Snow was awarded the Socan Classics 100,000 Radio Performances in Canada for commemorating more than 100k times his music has played on radio. On January 23, 2019, Puerto Rican rapper

Daddy Yankee Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (; born February 3, 1976), known professionally as Daddy Yankee (), is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor who rose to worldwide prominence in 2004 with the song "Gasolina". Dubbed the "Honorific ...

released the reggaeton and dancehall song "

Con Calma "Con Calma" () is a song by Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee featuring Canadian rapper Snow. The song was released as a single on January 24, 2019, by El Cartel Records alongside a music video directed by Marlon Peña and filmed in Los Angeles ...

" featuring Snow, which has been described as a remake or reimagination of "Informer". The single peaked at number 22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Snow's first entry on the chart since 1993, and reached number one on the US

Hot Latin Songs The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin music, Latin songs, published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart ranki ...

list. Internationally, the track topped the charts of five Spanish-language countries and reached the top 10 in 10 others in Latin America. Across Europe, the song entered the charts of numerous countries, peaking at number 14 in Italy and number 23 in Switzerland. In the Netherlands, the song rose to number one in April 2019. "Con Calma" also became Snow's first entry on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...

chart after debuting at number 99 in February 2019. It eventually peaked at number 6. On October 17, 2019, Snow and his wife Tara O'Brien attended the 5th Annual Latin American Music Awards in Hollywood, California at the

Dolby Theatre The Dolby Theatre (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre) is a live-performance auditorium in the Ovation Hollywood shopping mall and entertainment complex, on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue (Los Angeles), Highland Avenue, in the Holly ...

. Snow was nominated for three awards.

In February 2020, Snow won four awards Song of the Year with Daddy Yankee for "Con Calma" at ''Premio Lo Nuestro Awards.'' In March 2020, Snow was given the Pop Music Award from SOCAN. Snow and Daddy Yankee won the Top Latin Song of the Year at the 2020 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, and "

" won big at the Latin ''Billboard'' Music Awards on October 21, 2020, with Snow taking home six awards. Snow attended the awards with Tara O'Brien in Florida.

Television and film appearances

Drew Carey Drew Allison Carey (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian, actor and game show host. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey gained stardom in his own Situa ...

, a long time Snow fan, had Snow record a reggae version of ''

The Drew Carey Show ''The Drew Carey Show'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 13, 1995, to September 8, 2004. Set in Cleveland, Ohio, the series revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionaliz ...

'' theme song, "Moon Over Parma", for the series' eighth and ninth seasons. In 1995, Snow appears as himself in concert performance in the movie ''Kla$h'', Snow performs onstage and does a scene in which he is interviewed by Jamaican media in the film directed by Bill Parker and produced by Kingston Pictures. In 2001, Snow played a prison guard in the film ''

Prison Song ''Toxicity'' is the second studio album by the Armenian-American heavy metal band System of a Down, released on September 4, 2001, by American Recordings and Columbia Records. Expanding on their 1998 eponymous debut album, ''Toxicity'' incor ...

''. Snow appears as himself in the 2012 film '' The Movie Out Here'' produced by Canadian brewing company Kokanee and

Alliance Films Alliance Films (formerly Alliance Entertainment, Alliance Communications, Alliance Atlantis Releasing Ltd, Motion Picture Distribution LP; and also known as Alliance Vivafilm in Quebec; or simply Alliance) was a Canadian motion picture distributi ...

. In 2015, Snow and his then-fiancée, Tara Elizabeth, appeared on a

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

webseries called ''True Dating Stories'' to tell the story of one of their first dates: a walk in a ravine turned police operation. Their episode was the most watched and the entire series won Best Web Series at the Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival.

Ethnicity and Canadian identity

In ''Ethnicity, Politics, and Public Policy: Case Studies in Canadian Diversity'', Rebecca J. Haines examined Snow as a symbol of Canadian ethnic identity. Instead of hiding his "whiteness" and "Canadian-ness", Haines argues, Snow proudly boasts of his Irish heritage and pride in his family, the O'Briens, and traces his reggae roots to the diverse community of Allenbury. While other artists, such as

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

, don a

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

because of its resemblance to cannabis, "in the video for his single "Anything for You", shot on location in Jamaica, the white Canadian reggae artist Snow is seen wearing the same jersey, perhaps in an attempt to proclaim his Canadian roots among the all-black cast of this video." Many reggae purists viewed Snow, along with

Ini Kamoze Ini Kamoze ( , born Cecil Campbell; 9 October 1957) is a Jamaican reggae artist who began his career in the early 1980s and rose to prominence in 1994 with the signature song " Here Comes the Hotstepper". The single topped the US ''Billboard'' ...

Diana King Diana King (born 8 November 1970) is a Jamaican singer-songwriter who performs a mixture and fusion of reggae, reggae fusion and dancehall. They are best known for their hit 1995 single " Shy Guy" and their remake of " I Say a Little Prayer ...

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the Grammy ...

and

Shabba Ranks Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon OD (born 17 January 1966), better known by his stage name Shabba Ranks, is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throu ...

, as another example of "watered-down" commercial reggae that rose to international popularity in the 1990s. The

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

show ''

In Living Color ''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990, to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions ...

'' parodied "Informer" by featuring fellow Canadian

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. Known primarily for his energetic slapstick performances, he has received two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for BAFTA Awards and ...

as Snow in a sketch titled "Imposter". In 1996,

WBLS WBLS (107.5 MHz) is an urban adult contemporary radio format, formatted FM broadcasting, FM radio station, city of license, licensed to New York, New York. It is currently owned and operated by Mediaco Holding, along with sister station WQHT (97 ...

New York

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

Pat McKay observed, "purists have a problem with a non-Jamaican doing reggae. But I choose to think of it as the greatest compliment to reggae culture, and Snow is a genuine, dedicated artist. He has a fine singing voice, he's a great writer, and he very generously includes other artists in all of his work. His authenticity amplifies the realities of his generation, and his sensitivity conjures up intimacy with all of his love songs."

Personal life

In November 2009, Snow's then

common-law wife Common-law marriage, also known as non-ceremonial marriage, marriage, informal marriage, de facto marriage, more uxorio or marriage by habit and repute, is a marriage that results from the parties' agreement to consider themselves married, follo ...

and the subject of many of his songs, Tamei Edberg, was diagnosed with cancer. She died three weeks later on November 27, 2009, at age 41. Their daughter was born in 1995. On June 24, 2010, Snow held a fundraiser, ClosURE For Cancer, at Alley Catz Restaurant in Toronto during which they raised $15,000. Snow founded his own

nongovernmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

called Pure Snow NGO, which assists "tenants living in

non-profit housing Non-profit housing developers build affordable housing for individuals under-served by the private market. The non-profit housing sector is composed of community development corporations (CDC) and national and regional non-profit housing organiz ...

". In May 2016, Snow married model and actress Tara Elizabeth Singh at St. Anselm Catholic Church in Toronto. CTV covered the ceremony, and local radio station KISS 92.5 interviewed the newlyweds on ''The Roz and Mocha Show'' on May 22, 2016.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

* ''The Greatest Hits of Snow'' (1997)

Remix albums

* ''Best Remix of Snow'' (1998)

Singles

Awards and nominations

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2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

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" , Latin Rhythm Song of The Year , , , - , Streaming Song of The Year , , , - , Airplay Song of The Year , , , - , Hot Latin Song of The Year , , , - , Hot Latin Song Vocal Event of The Year , , , - , Digital Song of The Year , , , - , Crossover Artist of The Year , , , - , Top Latin Song of The Year , , Billboard Music Awards !Ref. , - , rowspan=3,

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, Snow , Top Hot 100 Artist - Male , , rowspan=3, , - , "

" , Top Rap Song , , - , '' 12 Inches of Snow'' , Top Reggae Album , , - ,

, Con Calma - Daddy Yankee & Snow , Top Latin Song of The Year , , Juno Awards , - , align="center", 1994 , "

" , Best Reggae Recording , , - , align="center", 1994 , Snow , Best Male Vocalist , , - , align="center", 1994 , '' 12 Inches of Snow'' , Best Album , , - , align="center", 1996 , " Si Wi Dem Nuh Know We" , Best Reggae Recording , , - , align="center", 1998 , " Justuss" , Best Reggae Recording , , - , align="center", 2001 , Snow , Best Male Artist , , - , align="center", 2001 , Snow/Patterson , Best Song Writer , , - , align="center", 2001 , '' Mind on the Moon'' ,

Best Pop Album The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality vocal pop music albums. Awards in several ...

, , - , align="center", 2002 , " The Plumb Song" , Best Video , , - , align="center", 2003 , " Two Hands Clapping" , Best Reggae Recording ,

Latin Grammy Awards The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music, Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish language, S ...

, - , align="center",

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, "

"
, Best Urban Fusion/Performance , , -

Lo Nuestro Awards The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro (Spanish language, Spanish for "Ours") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music (genre), Latin music, presented by TelevisaUnivision, and is carried by its Univision network in ...

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, rowspan="5", "Con Calma"
, Song of the Year , , - , Single of the Year , , - , Crossover Collaboration of the Year , , - , Urban Song of the Year , , - , Urban Collaboration of the Year ,

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
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Recording Industry Association of Japan , - , align="center", 1994 , Snow , Best New Recording Artist ,

Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soc ...

Video Award , - , align="center", 2020 , "Con Calma Remix" , Socan Pop Music Award , , - , align="center", 2001 , " Everybody Wants to Be Like You" , Much Music Top Video"Songwriters and Publishers," ''Billboard'', February 10, 2001, 48. ,

References

Source

External links

* {{Authority control 1969 births Living people Canadian dance musicians Canadian male rappers Canadian male singers Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian rappers Canadian reggae musicians Juno Award for Reggae Recording of the Year winners People from North York Rappers from Toronto Pop rappers