Snow Tha Product sat down with Angie Martinez for a new episode of IRL, and it might be the most open she has ever been on camera. Over an hour and a half, the two talked about her roots, ADHD, marriage, motherhood, speaking up for immigrants, and how a WorldStar post got her career popping. By the end, Snow was in tears.
No Manager, No Label, Still Standing
Angie opened by laying out the résumé: a mixtape that hit the Billboard Top Rap Albums chart, a run at Atlantic Records, then walking away to build everything herself. Today Snow has millions of followers and still no manager, no label and no publicist team. Her wife and son were in the studio with her. She says she is open to finding the right manager someday. She just hasn’t yet.
Mariachi, Big Pun and a Strict House
Music started early. Snow’s dad and grandfather sang mariachi, and as a little kid her dad made her sing it too. Because he was so overbearing, she rebelled against almost everything he pushed, music included, until she found rap on her own terms. Her influences read like a classic hip hop syllabus: Lauryn Hill, Big Pun, Biggie, Pac, Andre 3000, Lil’ Kim and Missy.
Was she good right away? “No. Terrible,” she laughed. She studied the greats and got obsessed with drums and percussion, and rap became her escape from a house where money was tight and both parents were always working. When her mom told her in high school that she quit everything, she gave Snow advice that stuck: whatever you do next, don’t stop. That next thing was rap.
Caught Between Two Languages
Snow is the first US born grandchild on both sides of a huge family. Her mom and dad each come from families of nine. She grew up speaking only Spanish at home, then got teased at school for her accent, while speaking English at home looked like showing off. She calls it battling two identities. Fun twist: her parents later moved back to Mexico, which she finds ironic given how hard she fights for immigrants.
Now she is on the other side of it with her son, who is Mexican, Puerto Rican and Dominican and doesn’t speak much Spanish. Angie, who is third generation herself, related completely. Snow’s take is that Spanish is a bonus, it’s never too late, and nobody should be looked down on for an accent in either language.
Finding Purpose
Snow was honest that she was a rebellious teen, rapping about getting out of poverty and running with the wrong crowd. Around 17 she decided she wanted a different life, started reading Proverbs, and made God a promise to change. While friends went down rougher roads, she poured everything into music and showcases. For the first time, people told her she wasn’t just kind of good. She was good.
How She Actually Got Popping
Around the 20 minute mark, Snow walks through her rise online. She built her early buzz on MySpace, YouTube and the blogs, and then, in her words, “eventually I get on World Star.” That’s when it started popping. Angie backed it up, saying a WorldStar post back then might drag you, but it would get those views up and get something going.
The post she’s talking about is “Holy Sh*t” on WorldStarHipHop, which went up on June 8, 2011. Full disclosure: that one was submitted by yours truly, Danielgotskillz. The story behind that post involves a Super Bowl snowstorm, a homemade YMCMB shirt and a Lil Wayne clip.
ADHD as a Superpower
Snow has been open about having ADHD for years, and she calls it a creative superpower. The random “what if I do this” ideas are what got her a Latin Grammy nomination and kept her going viral. The flip side is being “20 projects deep” and not knowing which one to finish, which is where her wife comes in to lay out the week. Her old school approach for years: “I just drank coffee and prayed and kept it pushing.” Both she and Angie talked about giving yourself grace when the hard days come instead of fighting them.
The Haircut and Taking Back Control
Fans noticed right away: Snow chopped her hair off herself, in her bathroom, a few days before the interview. Her wife saw her walk out with a towel on her head and a big smile. For Snow it was about owning her own life, something she says artists rarely feel with the public, labels, managers and agents all pulling at them. Some people online decided she’d lost it. Her answer: “My energy is great.”
The same goes for her music. When people wanted to spend big to push one of her songs into a bigger hit, she said no. She doesn’t want to be the poster child for one record or one cause. She wants to be seen as a full person.
Wife, Son and the Ranch
Snow has been married a little over a year, after dating a long time, and calls this the most understanding relationship she has ever had. She says she finally has acceptance and a hype person. Her whole circle now lives together on a ranch: her brother, cousin, aunt, wife and son, plus goats, chickens and dogs, with music, a pool and carne asada going all the time. She also picked up a place in Mexico City to slow down and enjoy life.
Closing the Loop
Snow says she “opened the vault,” finishing songs she started years ago and releasing them as closing chapters. On her song “Faith,” the first verse was written six years ago in a frustrated, angry place, and the second verse is her today, more accepting and more faith based. Angie called it real art. Snow says the whole six year journey is her legacy.
Brown Pride and Speaking Up
Snow has talked about immigration and Latino pride since day one, long before it trended. Seeing Mexicans celebrated now makes her proud, but she pointed out that “when we’re finally the most celebrated is when we’re also the most targeted.” She says speaking up has brought her plenty of hate, but her approach is still to talk to people one by one, camera or no camera.
“I Did Okay”
To close, Angie asked her favorite question: if God texted you right now, what would it say? Snow broke down. Through tears she said she is still learning to accept that she’s doing okay. Her answer: “I did okay.”
Fifteen years after that WorldStar post, Snow Tha Product is still independent, still outspoken and still doing it her way.