Canadian rapper Snow’s 1992 song “Informer” became a US one-hit wonder by blending reggae-influenced production with a rapid rap about his arrest and an alleged murder charge.
Snow, whose real name is Darrin O’Brien, recorded the song with producer M.C. Shan. The lyrics refer to a real incident in which Snow was arrested in Toronto, although he was later acquitted of the attempted-murder charges mentioned in the song.
“Informer” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks in 1993. Its distinctive chorus, delivered in heavily accented Jamaican patois, became the song’s most recognizable feature.
The recording is sometimes classified simply as reggae, but it also draws on dancehall and hip-hop. Snow later had other chart activity in Canada and internationally, yet “Informer” remained his defining US crossover hit.