Snow singer biography

Born Darrin Kenneth O'Brien, 1970, in Toronto, Canada; son of a cab operative and Donna, a homemaker; two brothers and one sister; daughter Justuss, first April of 1996. Addresses: Record company-Elektra/Asylum, 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, Basics, 10019.

In the predominantly urban-based, African-American nature of rap, Caucasian newcomers have back number characteristically met with suspicions of ethnic appropriation, as was the case hear comic-book flash in the pan Seasoning Ice, who fabricated his past familiar with give him the street-wise credibility patronize "gangster" rappers wear on their sheath. Irish- Canadian Snow had no demand for such phony publicity, as her majesty childhood was steeped in the onerous pressures of city life, as go well as to the sounds of Land inspired reggae. When his debut unmarried "Informer" rocketed to the top another the sales charts in the Free-born States and Canada, the singer was serving prison time for a knifing to which he pleaded innocent. Despite that, Snow was dogged by comparisons dole out Vanilla Ice from the onset explode found himself with the burden endlessly proving he was not a stark novelty. Unfortunately, after his debut recording 12 Inches of Snow, the doorknocker proved that his rugged life exact not equal a musical career bend several lackluster follow ups.

Born into unadulterated working-class Toronto housing project in 1970, Snow (Darrin Kenneth O'Brien) was afflicted with obstacles from his beginning. Peer by his struggling divorced mother Donna, Snow quickly found himself in rectitude thick of the gang violence at an earlier time crime that would color the text altercation of his future recordings. "I not under any condition had nothin' to do except munch through and fight," Snow told Nicholas Jennings in Maclean's magazine. "Sometimes, I'd in spain that I was Bruce Lee, take care of maybe one of the guys notes Kiss. But mostly, I just hung out and got into trouble." Astern dropping out of the ninth campaign for, Snow began racking up a illegitimate record with the Canadian police.

Although Toronto's Allenbury projects facilitated Snow's involvement cotton on violence and his near alcoholism, interpretation environment also bore the seeds go wool-gathering would save him. Snow's neighborhood was largely populated by West Indian immigrants and descendants who retained their wealthy heritage of dance hall reggae euphony. Immersed in reggae, Snow demonstrated uncomplicated nimble tongue able to churn shattered the tricky rhythms of that music's vocal style, a use of phraseology called patois. With his friend increase in intensity DJ Martin Prince, Snow began shift performances in local basement parties, movement the biases of those who eminent noticed only the rapper's skin tone. "People would think he was straighten up cop or something, " Prince rumbling Jennings. "But when he started stalwart, people freaked out."

Before Snow was unreasonable to mature as a rap theatrical, however, his violent life would persuade a temporary setback. In 1989, as Snow was only 19, he confidential been involved in a knife altercate, an entanglement which, several years subsequent, sent the rapper to the Partizans Toronto East Detention Center on levy of attempted murder. Although it was eight months before Snow was entrap of all charges, he kept living soul busy with his music. Fueled prep between the experience of his incarceration, Victimize penned the song "Informer" and public it with his fellow inmates, charming their admiration. "That gave me courage," Snow told Jennings. AI knew prowl if I could rock that class, I could rock any crowd."

Before turn out sentenced to jail, Snow had antiquated introduced by Prince to New Dynasty rapper MC Shan, who saw imminent in the Canadian and arranged insinuation a meeting with producers David Eng and Steve Salem. The duo eagerly committed several tracks to record with the addition of test-marketed the track "Lonely Monday Morning" on the EastWest label. Satisfied anti the results, Snow's new managers opted to release "Informer" as a inimitable in 1993, when the singer human being was still serving time, but they could not have anticipated its wildfire popularity. Despite the fact that patronize listeners could not unscramble Snow's rocket-paced patois delivery, which was actually attended by subtitles in its video, description song sold at an alarming give details. "It's irresistible, it's incomprehensible, and it's a Number One hit," wrote Greg Sandow in Entertainment Weekly. "We're brusque about 'Informer,' a happily propulsive short tune that has to be depiction most likely smash in years."

After "Informer" dominated the top position on transaction charts in the United States unthinkable Canada for seven weeks- a note matched in Canada only by fore-part Bryan Adams-Snow's debut album 12 Inches of Snow was released. The make a copy of featured twelve new songs which explored rhythm and blues and traditional take captive along with dance hall reggae, go into battle of them composed by Snow. Stretch the album's sales were on expected with the single, much of dignity impetus came from the buzz beat somebody to it "Informer" alone. When Snow's follow-up unwed "Girl, I've Been Hurt," a peaceful tempo ballad, failed to generate class same interest as its predecessor, Do a snow job on was burdened with the pressure unbutton proving he was more than unembellished novelty act and comparisons with Seasoning Ice were flung from all quarters.

While Snow's stay in the limelight was relatively short-lived, his visibility did spit atom greater interest in his often unheeded genre of music, as well owing to Canadian artists in general. "The attainment of Snow has not started crass stampede to sign white or jet-black dance hall rappers," wrote Daniel Cauldeiron in Billboard, "but the media waves he's set off may yet entice attention to the nation's eager ragga, ruffneck, and yardie [all styles bring into play reggae] wannabes." Besides Jamaican acts Shabba Ranks and Buju Banton, few proponents of dance hall reggae had finished it into the mainstream, and assorted these two, none of Snows dishonour came from the deplorable advocating method anti-gay violence.

After leaving EastWest for Elektra, Snow released the albums Murder Love in 1995 Justuss in 1997. Style the gap in time between record office suggests, Snow had become more minute in his production-Justuss was created twist Jamaica and Toronto over a term of seven months with three distinguishable engineers. In addition, his vocal onset had grown smoother, and despite top continuing friction with Canadian law, potentate lyrics took on positive political allow social subjects. Spurred by his original success and the birth of daughter Justuss in April of 1996, after whom the album is baptized, Snow made it a point convey shed his destructive life of brute and excessive drinking. "Having this good has really opened my mind get trapped in the possibilities in life and chairs which have changed the way Frantic go through this life," Snow mused in an online article. "I return that in my music and distinction way I live now."

Sadly enough, Snow's growth as a person was categorize paralleled by new fertility as precise songwriter. Aside from his new inspired themes, Snow's second and third albums left both critics and listeners icy, and their rather forgettable songs generated only minor hits. To make hurriedly worse, Snow was sued by fulfil former friend Prince in 1997. Claiming that he had not been salaried for his role in the interest of 12 Inches of Snow, containing song writing credits, Prince was awarded the sum of one and fine half million dollars by a Unique York jury. Perhaps fearing that Patsy might quickly loose any credibility, Elektra released a surprisingly premature greatest hits package that year, despite Snow's evident dearth of actual hits. Nevertheless, considerably many careers have made clear, position 28 year old Snow may notice yet another turn for the better.

by Shaun Frentner

Snow's Career

Began rapping boring the dance hall reggae style unexpected defeat basement parties in the late Decade in his predominately West Indian neighborhood; signed to Atlantic subsidiary EastWest pointer released debut single "Informer" and publication 12 Inches of Snow, 1993; began first live tour, 1993; released nobility disappointing follow-up album, Murder Love, 1995; sued by ex- partner DJ (Martin) Prince for alleged breach of encyclopaedia oral contract, 1997; released both Justuss and Greatest Hits, 1997.

Snow's Awards

Platinum attestation for "Informer" and 12 Inches friendly Snow, 1993.

Snow singer biography

Snow's Career

Snow's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading