Informer (song)

1992 single by Snow
the Spanish 2019 arrangement by Daddy Yankee & Snow

"Informer" is a song by Canadian reggae musician Snow, released in August 1992 by East West Records as the first single from his debut album, 12 Inches of Snow (1993). The song is well known for the line "a licky boom boom down" and for Snow's fast toasting and often unintelligible lyrics. Produced by MC Shan, who also contributed a rap verse, "Informer" was a chart topping hit, spending seven consecutive weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was his biggest hit in the United Kingdom, where it reached number two. Its music video was directed by George Seminara, featuring Snow in jail. In 2007, "Informer" was ranked number 84 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s". Conversely, the song was included in Pitchforks 2010 list of "The Seven Worst U. S. Number One Singles of the 90s". In 2019, Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and rapper Daddy Yankee released a new version 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.

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 producer–managers Steve Salem and David Eng, who signed him to their Motor Jam Records company, and licensed the music to East West Records. M. R. Martinez from Cashbox felt it demonstrate Snow's "unique delivery which sounds less imitative than some dancehallers or rappers from the bonafide hood." Havelock Nelson from Entertainment Weekly declared the song as "slippery and tuneful". Swedish Expressen described it as "hard boiled Jamaican crime fiction". Katrine Ring from Danish Gaffa viewed it as an "excellent pop number". Dennis Hunt from Los Angeles Times felt "he adds a nifty dimension to dancehall by smoothly integrating pop textures." In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton concluded 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." Cermak and 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." Jan DeKnock from Orlando Sentinel labeled it as "dancable". A reviewer from People Magazine felt that Snow's "incarcerations flavor the pumped up, hip hop infused single "Informer"." James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update called it both "excellent" and "jaunty". Parry Gettelman from The Sentinel named "Informer" one of two "best tracks" of the album, remarking that it "pair powerful rhythms with killer choruses hear "Informer" once and just try to get it out of your head."

"Informer" peaked at number one on the singles chart in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. It entered the top 10 in Austria, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, the single peaked at number two during its third week at the UK Singles Chart, on March 21, 1993.

"Informer" won a Juno Award for Best Reggae Recording in 1994. 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 on their list of the best Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song of the 1990s.

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. This song was later re imagined into Daddy Yankee's hit single Con Calma released in 2019.

+Release dates and formats for "Informer"RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref. (Reference)United StatesAugust 19927 inch vinyl, 12 inch vinyl, cassetteEastWestUnited KingdomMarch 1, 19937 inch vinyl, 12 inch vinyl, CD, cassetteJapanJuly 25, 1993Mini CD