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Informer (song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Informer
| cover = Snow Informer (Single Cover).jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Snow
| album = 12 Inches of Snow
| released = August 20, 1992
| recorded = 1992
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
* Reggae fusion
* hip hop
* dancehall
| length = 4:28
| label = East West
| writer =
* Edmond Leary
* Darrin O'Brien
* Shawn Moltke
* Terri Moltke
* Jeffrey Silva (associate writer)
| producer = MC Shan
| next_title = Girl I've Been Hurt
| next_year = 1993
| misc =
}}
"'Informer'" is a 1992 song by Canadian reggae musician Snow, released as the first single from his debut album, '12 Inches of Snow' (1993). Produced by MC Shan, who also contributed a rap verse, the single was a chart-topping hit, spending seven consecutive weeks at number one on the 'Billboard' Hot 100. It was his biggest hit in the United Kingdom, where it reached number two, behind two different number-one singles. In 2007, the song was ranked number 84 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s. Conversely, the song was included in 'Pitchfork's 2010 list of "the seven worst U.S. number one singles of the 90s". The song is well known for the line "a licky boom boom down" and for Snow's fast toasting and often unintelligible lyrics.
In 2019, Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and rapper Daddy Yankee released a reimagination of "Informer" as "Con Calma" together with Snow, who recorded new parts. The Spanish-language remake topped the charts of 20 countries and reached the top 10 of 10 others.
Background and content
Snow grew up as Darrin O'Brien in Toronto, Canada. He was raised on classic rock, but after Jamaicans moved into his neighborhood, due to then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's revised immigration policies, reggae became a huge part of his life.
In 1992, while on vacation with DJ Marvin Prince in Queens, New York, Prince introduced Snow to American rapper and record producer MC Shan, and they produced a four-song demo. MC Shan then introduced Snow to producermanagers Steve Salem and David Eng, who signed him to their Motor Jam Records company, and licensed the music to East West Records. Shortly thereafter, Snow began serving an eight-month sentence in Toronto for assault. "Informer" began getting radio and MuchMusic airplay while he was incarcerated.
The song is based on a separate 1989 incident when Snow was charged with two counts of attempted murder. At the time, he was detained for a year in Toronto before the charges were reduced to aggravated assault, and he was eventually acquitted and freed.
In a 1999 interview, he referred to his criminal history as "a couple of bar fights."
Critical reception
AllMusic editor Ron Wynn called the song "patois-laced", and noted further that it "shattered the myth that pop audiences wouldn't embrace any tune whose lyrics weren't in pristine English; when his video was released, it included a rolling translation at the bottom." M.R. Martinez from 'Cashbox' stated that it "demonstrate Snow's unique delivery which sounds less imitative than some dancehallers or rappers from the bonafide hood." Havelock Nelson from 'Entertainment Weekly' deemed the song as "slippery and tuneful". Swedish newspaper 'Expressen' described it as "hard-boiled Jamaican crime fiction".'Expressen'. April 15, 1993. Katrine Ring from 'Gaffa' stated that it is an "excellent pop-number". Music writer James Masterton concluded in his weekly UK chart commentary, that it "must surely be a contender for No.1 within a week or two." Alan Jones from 'Music Week' complimented "this infectious, instantly appealing dancehall" song for achieving "the right mix between reggae and hip-hop." He added that it "should make quite a splash here." James Hamilton from the magazine's 'RM' Dance Update called it "excellent" and "jaunty". Wendi Cermak and Randy Ross from 'The Network Forty' commented, "You'd swear you were listening to a Jamaican straight out of Kingston, but this 22-year-old white male hails from Toronto's ghetto. Along with mixer DJ Prince and record producer and rapper MC Shan, Snow creates a hooky low-groover with infectious dancehall toasting." The 'Orlando Sentinel' labeled it as "dancable". A reviewer from 'People Magazine' said that Snow's "incarcerations flavor the pumped up, hip-hop-infused single 'Informer'."
Chart performance
"Informer" proved to be very successful on the charts globally. In Europe, it peaked at number-one in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. It made it to the top 10 also in Austria (number two), France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands (number two), Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom (number two). In the latter, the single peaked in its third week at the UK Singles Chart, on March 21, 1993. It was held off reaching the top spot by Shaggy's "Oh Carolina". Outside Europe, it hit number-one in Australia, New Zealand, on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 and in Zimbabwe. "Informer" was awarded with a gold record in Austria and the Netherlands, a silver record in the UK and a platinum record in Germany, New Zealand and the US. In Australia, it received a 2 platinum record.
Music video
Directed by George Seminara, the music video for the song shows Snow entering a jail cell. His producer and friend, MC Shan, is also featured in the video; he explains how he got into prison by not turning informer. DJ Marvin Prince is seen enjoying a sauna with a couple of women. There are bikini clad women throughout and Snow is accompanied by female dancers glossed in black and white. When first shown, the video had no subtitles, but they were added because few people could comprehend what Snow was saying. "Informer" was published on YouTube in September 2019. As of June 2022, the video had more than 31 million views.
One of the dancers is Mona Scott, who would later go into music management, starting Violator Management. She would go on to become owner of Monami Entertainment.
Awards and recognition
"Informer" won a Juno Award for Best Reggae Recording in 1994.Juno Awards list, (Retrieved January 6, 2011). In 2007, the song was ranked number 84 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s. In 2020, Cleveland.com ranked it at number 127 in their list of the best 'Billboard' Hot 100 No. 1 song of the 1990s.
Legacy
Many reggae purists viewed the song, along with the works of Ini Kamoze, Diana King, Shaggy and Shabba Ranks, as another example of "watered down" commercial reggae that rose to international popularity in the 1990s.Kevin O'Brien Chang and Wayne Chen, 'Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican music' (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998), 68. This song was later re-imagined into Daddy Yankee's hit single Con Calma released in 2019.
The sketch comedy show 'In Living Color', in a mock video featuring Jim Carrey as Snow, parodied the song.
Track listings
* 'CD maxi'
# "Informer" (radio mix) 4:11
# "Informer" (album mix Rick the Mexican remix edit) 4:28
# "Informer" (drum mix) 4:12
# "Informer" (Clark's fat bass mix) 4:39
# "Informer" (Clark's super mix) 4:51
* '7" single'
# "Informer" (radio edit) 4:05
# "Informer" (album mix Rick the Mexican remix edit) 4:28
* '12" maxi'
# "Informer" (LP version Rick the Mexican remix edit) 4:28
# "Informer" (drum mix) 4:12
# "Informer" (dub) 4:12
# "Informer" (Clark's fat bass mix) 4:39
# "Informer" (Clark's super radio mix) 4:11
# "Informer" (super dub) 4:50
* 'Cassette'
# "Informer" (LP version Rick the Mexican remix edit) 4:30
# "Informer" (drum mix) 4:13
Personnel
* Text: Darrin O'Brien, Edmund Leary, Shawn Moltke
* Producer: MC Shan
* Executive producer: David Eng, EZ Steve Salem
* Co-producer: Edmund Leary, John "Jumpstreet" Ficarotta
* Photography: Melanie Nissen
* Informer remixer and editor: Rick the Mexican Huerta
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
References
Category:1992 debut singles
Category:1992 songs
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Canadian hip hop songs
Category:Dancehall songs
Category:East West Records singles
Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Category:Juno Award for Reggae Recording of the Year recordings
Category:Number-one singles in Australia
Category:Number-one singles in Denmark
Category:Number-one singles in Finland
Category:Number-one singles in Germany
Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand
Category:Number-one singles in Norway
Category:Number-one singles in Sweden
Category:Number-one singles in Switzerland
Category:Number-one singles in Zimbabwe
Category:Snow (musician) songs
Category:Songs written by Snow (musician)
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