59 on the all-important Hot 100 - not bad for a song mostly in Spanish - after punching in at No. 3 on the magazine’s Latin Songs chart and had lurched to No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Digital Song Sales chart after dropping to No. At the moment of writing, “Con Calma” was closing in on 259 million YouTube views and had bounced back to No. 19 in June of 1993 on the heels of a seven-week reign by “Informer” at the top of the chart earlier that year. “I just woke up and came here and now it starts now and we’ll see what we’re gonna get into tonight.”Īs it turns out, the friendly, self-effacing Toronto sorta-rapper/sorta-singer born Darrin Kenneth O’Brien 49 years ago and responsible for the indelible 1992 sorta-reggae smash “Informer” is as casual with his time as he has been with the pop career unexpectedly hatched by that same tune all those years ago - a pop career that has been abruptly re-hatched (again) in recent weeks by the explosive success of Daddy Yankee’s new single “ Con Calma.”Ī reggaeton earworm built explicitly upon “Informer” and featuring a guest verse by Snow himself, “Con Calma” has put the Canadian sorta-dancehall MC back on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time since “ Girl, I’ve Been Hurt” reached No.
![daddy yankee informer snow daddy yankee informer snow](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MSoYBzualRA/maxresdefault.jpg)
I just woke up,” he laughs, once a couple of pals and the two-man video crew that was shooting the Star photographer shooting Snow when I turned up leave us alone in the control room and the apology is extended again. With the weather heating up, I can only image people driving around with the top down and blaring this re-imagined old school hit.It’s a bit more of a haul than expected, via transit and feet, to the studio on the neglected, lower-western industrial fringes of North York where Snow - yes, that Snow - is holed up on a recent Friday night, so this conscientious music writer feels apologies are in order for intruding at the end of what must have been a long and tiring day of recording. I could see this track being one to creeps its way to the top charts internationally because of its hot temperature. The upbeat sound of this track works well with the lyrics too because it is about admiring a girl for her mesmerizing dance moves. You cannot listen to this song without looking down and seeing both of your hips swaying back and forth. It freshly squeezes the mixture of Snow’s vocals, which can be considered the definition of dance hall, and Daddy Yankee’s dembow rhythm to create a tropical holiday in your speakers. “Con Calma” is a track that reminds you that warm weather is right around the corner. Not only has Yankee included Snow on his track, but also Snow hasn’t appeared in the music scene for over 25 years and to appear with Yankee (let me remind you the creator of reggaeton) will do nothing more than place Snow in the music scene in a new, modernized and innovative way. In an interview with Apple Music Yankee said that the 1992 hit “was one of my favorite songs growing up, and to do this the right way I needed the guy to be on the record.”īeing a person that absolutely hates remakes I appreciated what Yankee has so kindly gestured towards. However, Yankee did more than just recreate a blast from the past, he included Canadian rapper, Snow, (that’s right Snow is Canadian-representing!) into his music to create a rich blend of today’s modern music of dance hall and reggaeton with early 90’s beats.
![daddy yankee informer snow daddy yankee informer snow](https://images.thestar.com/KvOWN54ptr5fYYFhYh_gRpr3cvU=/1280x1024/smart/filters:cb(1571273664420)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/entertainment/music/2019/03/07/rapper-snow-has-fun-with-his-surprise-comeback-but-fame-that-dont-matter-to-me/stool.jpg)
I’m going to be completely honest, when I first heard this track I thought it was going to be another cover that yet again butchers an original. Have you ever heard of a cover that includes the original artist? Hell no! -it is extremely rare! Daddy Yankee, the Puerto Rican reggaeton king, has released a remake of Snow’s 1992 hit song “Informer” with Snow himself called “Con Calma.”