"Informer" is a song by Canadian reggae musician Snow, released in August 1992 as the first single from his debut album, 12 Inches of Snow (1993). Produced by MC Shan, who also contributed a rap verse, the single 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, behind two different number-one singles. The song is well known for the line "a licky boom boom down" and for Snow's fast toasting and often unintelligible lyrics. In 2007, it 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 reimagination 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. Background and content 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. Shortly thereafter, Snow began serving an eight-month sentence in Toronto for assault. "Informer" began getting radio and MuchMusic airplay while he was incarcerated. The song is based on a separate 1989 incident when Snow was charged with two counts of attempted murder. At the time, he was detained for a year in Toronto before the charges were reduced to aggravated assault, and he was eventually acquitted and freed. In a 1999 interview, he referred to his criminal history as "a couple of bar fights." Critical reception AllMusic editor Ron Wynn called the song "patois-laced", noting further that it "shattered the myth that pop audiences wouldn't embrace any tune whose lyrics weren't in pristine English; when his video was released, it included a rolling translation at the