Informer (song)

"Informer"
Single by Snow
from the album 12 Inches of Snow
ReleasedAugust 1992
Genre
Length4:28
LabelEastWest
Songwriter(s)
  • Edmond Leary
  • Darrin O'Brien
  • Shawn Moltke
  • Terri Moltke
  • Jeffrey Silva (associate writer)
Producer(s)MC Shan
Snow singles chronology
"Informer"
(1992)
"Girl I've Been Hurt"
(1992)
Music video
"Informer" on YouTube

"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"[1] 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 Billboard Hot 100. "Informer" was Snow's biggest hit in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. 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 Pitchfork's 2010 list of "The Seven Worst U.S. Number One Singles of the 90s".[2]

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.

  1. ^ "Snow's "Informer": How A Stop Snitching Anthem Became A No. 1 Pop Hit". Genius. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  2. ^ "Staff Lists". Pitchfork. September 7, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2015.