Informer

Snow is the stage name of Darrin Kenneth O'Brien, a Canadian rapper and singer from North York, Toronto. He grew up in Allenbury Gardens and encountered Jamaican music through neighbours in the community. SOCAN's Canadian Classics feature describes that discovery of reggae as a formative influence on the sound he would eventually take to an international pop audience.

His breakthrough came through a meeting with New York rapper and producer MC Shan. The pair worked on a four-song demo, leading Snow to producers and managers Steve Salem and David Eng and eventually to a deal involving East West Records. MC Shan also produced Snow's debut album, 12 Inches of Snow.

“Informer” was the record that changed everything. Released in 1992 and breaking internationally in 1993, it combined dancehall-style patois delivery with a polished pop-rap production. The song became a global number-one, while its fast vocal phrasing became one of the most recognisable sounds of the early-1990s crossover era. The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame describes it as a true-life song about Snow's arrest and incarceration following a violent fight.

The scale of the hit was extraordinary. “Informer” reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for seven weeks, while the UK single peaked at number two and spent 15 weeks on the Official Singles Chart. The track also reached number one in numerous other territories, establishing Snow as a genuinely international reggae-pop act rather than a purely Canadian success.

The debut album produced another major hit in “Girl I've Been Hurt”, but Snow's career did not end with the first wave of success. Justuss followed in 1995, “Anything for You (All Star Cast Remix)” became a Jamaican number-one, and the 2000 album Mind on the Moon included “Everybody Wants to Be Like You”, which won the MuchMusic Video Award for Best Canadian Video.

Snow returned to a new generation of listeners in 2018 through Daddy Yankee's “Con Calma”, which reworked the musical identity of “Informer” and featured Snow himself. The song became a major global hit and introduced Snow's signature vocal presence to a Latin-pop audience. Apple Music's current catalogue also lists the later “Con Calma” remix appearances and Snow's 2026 single “Bad Boy Attitude”.