12 Inches of Snow
Encyclopedia
12 Inches of Snow is the debut album by Canadian reggae
musician Snow
, released in 1993. Edmond Leary and MC Shan
produced the entire album, apart from one track which was produced by John Ficarrotta. The album was produced shortly before Snow was imprisoned for a year on an assault
charge. Upon his release from prison
, his first single "Informer
" became a chart topping hit. It later went on to become one of the largest-selling reggae records of all time.
stemmed from a late night incident across the street from Snow's Allenbury home. Thus, the song described how a detective incorrectly accused Snow of "stabbing someone down the lane." The song also chronicled Snow's incarceration at Toronto East Detention Centre
and prison life.
Shan described the album as not "raw, straight-up" reggae but more of a hybrid album fusing pop, jazz, reggae, and hip-hop resulting in "mass appeal." Indeed, the songs "Informer," "Runway," "Champion Sound," and "Lonely Monday Morning," were Dancehall
tracks performed in Jamaican Patois. Shan recorded "Drunken Styles," another song performed entirely in patois, after Snow and the recording crew celebrated at a nearby tavern, and a tipsy Snow performed the entire track free style.
Other songs, such as "Lady With the Red Dress," "Girl, I've Been Hurt," "Uhh in You," and "Hey, Pretty Love," mixed love ballads and dance tracks with patois. "Ease Up," "Creative Child," and "50 Ways (To Flip a Style)," were hip-hop inspired songs.
Shan, Eng, and Salem, testified that they were unaware of a partnership between Snow and Prince and Shan denied that Prince co-produced 12 Inches of Snow and co-wrote five of the songs on the album. While initially winning a $1.5 million dollar judgment, the court dismissed Prince's suit on grounds that he had "no viable claims" to a partnership with Snow.
.
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
musician Snow
Snow (musician)
Darrin O'Brien , better known by his stage name Snow, is a Juno Award-winning Canadian rap and reggae musician. He is best known for his 1992 single "Informer", which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.-Life and work:...
, released in 1993. Edmond Leary and MC Shan
MC Shan
MC Shan is an American rapper. He is perhaps best known for collaborating with Snow in "Informer", an international number one hit single.-Biography:...
produced the entire album, apart from one track which was produced by John Ficarrotta. The album was produced shortly before Snow was imprisoned for a year on an assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
charge. Upon his release from prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, his first single "Informer
Informer (song)
"Informer" is a 1992 single by Canadian reggae musician Snow. It features and is produced by Queensbridge-bred rapper MC Shan, and is from Snow's debut album 12 Inches of Snow. The single was released shortly before Snow was imprisoned for a year on an assault charge...
" became a chart topping hit. It later went on to become one of the largest-selling reggae records of all time.
Production
After M.C. Shan discovered Snow through a Canadian DJ, he began recording songs with Snow in New York and introduced him to managers David Kenneth Eng and EZ Steve Salem, who signed Snow to East West Records. While awaiting trial for assault and murder charges (later acquitted), Shan and Snow began working on the album. The inspiration for the song InformerInformer (song)
"Informer" is a 1992 single by Canadian reggae musician Snow. It features and is produced by Queensbridge-bred rapper MC Shan, and is from Snow's debut album 12 Inches of Snow. The single was released shortly before Snow was imprisoned for a year on an assault charge...
stemmed from a late night incident across the street from Snow's Allenbury home. Thus, the song described how a detective incorrectly accused Snow of "stabbing someone down the lane." The song also chronicled Snow's incarceration at Toronto East Detention Centre
Toronto East Detention Centre
The Toronto East Detention Centre often referred to as simply The East, is a maximum security remand facility located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the former borough of Scarborough. It is located to the southwest of Eglinton Avenue and Birchmount Road...
and prison life.
Shan described the album as not "raw, straight-up" reggae but more of a hybrid album fusing pop, jazz, reggae, and hip-hop resulting in "mass appeal." Indeed, the songs "Informer," "Runway," "Champion Sound," and "Lonely Monday Morning," were Dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
tracks performed in Jamaican Patois. Shan recorded "Drunken Styles," another song performed entirely in patois, after Snow and the recording crew celebrated at a nearby tavern, and a tipsy Snow performed the entire track free style.
Other songs, such as "Lady With the Red Dress," "Girl, I've Been Hurt," "Uhh in You," and "Hey, Pretty Love," mixed love ballads and dance tracks with patois. "Ease Up," "Creative Child," and "50 Ways (To Flip a Style)," were hip-hop inspired songs.
Legal dispute
While touring as Snow's DJ in December 1994, Marvin Prince abruptly left the tour after discovering Snow "was receiving more money from management than he was." While listed as only the co-writer of the song "Runway" on the 12 inches of Snow album, Prince claimed to have co-written five songs and co-produced the album with Shan, Eng, and Salem. Furthermore, Prince alleged that Eng and Salem provided "a draft of a multi-album production and recording agreement" for both Snow and himself. Unable to understand the contract, Prince allegedly "sent a copy to his mother to get legal advice from her friend" and "never saw the agreement again." Moreover, Prince claimed to have entered an "oral agreement" with Snow implying that the two would share profits from the album "fifty-fifty." The first agreement, Prince alleged, occurred "in 1990, when the two men began working together on songs in" Prince's "basement" and he "allegedly suggested to" Snow, "if something comes out of this, let's be partners." The second oral agreement, according to Prince, took place in August 1991 while Snow "auditioned for Shan." While Snow frequently referred to Prince as his partner in promotional videos, he claimed to have used the term "only in the slang sense." Prince, moreover, "admitted that these discussions were not concrete; the parties never organized a formal business plan, nor was plaintiff in New York to advance defendant's career."Shan, Eng, and Salem, testified that they were unaware of a partnership between Snow and Prince and Shan denied that Prince co-produced 12 Inches of Snow and co-wrote five of the songs on the album. While initially winning a $1.5 million dollar judgment, the court dismissed Prince's suit on grounds that he had "no viable claims" to a partnership with Snow.
Release
East-West released the first single, "Informer," while Snow was serving time in prison for assault charges. In fact, Snow first watched the "Informer" video while behind bars. Upon his release, a limousine picked him up and he left prison as a recording star. "Informer" went on to become one of the biggest international hits of the 1993 and 12 Inches of Snow became one of the top-selling albums of 1993. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA with an excess of 1 million copies sold and in Canada was certified triple platinum by the CRIACria
A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically...
.
Track listing
- "Runway"
- "Champion Sound"
- "Lonely Monday Morning"
- "Drunken Styles"
- "Girl, I've Been Hurt"
- "Hey Pretty Love"
- "InformerInformer (song)"Informer" is a 1992 single by Canadian reggae musician Snow. It features and is produced by Queensbridge-bred rapper MC Shan, and is from Snow's debut album 12 Inches of Snow. The single was released shortly before Snow was imprisoned for a year on an assault charge...
" - "Creative Child"
- "Lady With the Red Dress"
- "Uhh in You"
- "Can't Get Enough"
- "Ease Up"
- "50 Ways" (CD Bonus Track)
- "Lonely Monday Morning (Remix)" (CD Bonus Track)