Snow Tha Product’s mood in the morning typically affects what kind of music she’ll make that day. Unlike nighttime studio rats, the L.A.–based rapper gets out of bed and starts working. “However I feel when I wake up tends to be what I’m vibing to,” she says.
On her newest track, “Nuestra Canción,” the vibe is tequila. Like, long-night-of-drinking-after-a-bad-break-up tequila. Snow says the song came together in her living room, where she’d been brainstorming with one of her longtime producers and collaborators, DJ Pumba. Someone pulled out a bottle of Patrón and the liquid energy flowed straight into the tune, producing one lulling, ultra-catchy puddle of chilled-out reggaeton.
“Nuestra Canción” is one of the first glimpses into Snow’s new Half Way There… Pt. 1, which drops tomorrow on Atlantic Records. There are more drinks to chug here: seven additional tracks celebrate Snow’s up-tempo, party side. “Nuestra Canción,” meanwhile, stands out as the subdued side of the MC. She puts her signature spitfire verses on hold to explore heartbreak, and the flow is similar to the dark, deliberate groove she pulled off on her W. Darling collaboration “Nights.” In true Snow fashion, when she delivers emotion, she does it with some edge.
“I was noticing that there’s a new wave of reggaeton in the limelight that is very lovey-dovey when it comes to girl songs, and sometimes you don’t want to listen to that — you’re just like, ‘Give me alcohol!’” she laughs, adding quickly, “My mom is going to think I’m an alcoholic because all of my songs are about alcohol.”
“Nuestra Canción” also gives Snow a chance to break things down in Spanish. The Chicana MC already has a habit of switching languages — we heard her verses on “AyAyAy!” and her cameo on Jamie Kohen’s “Alguien” — and “Nuestra Canción” is yet another embodiment of her roots. Snow’s parents are former undocumented immigrants who raised her on a healthy diet of El General records as a kid, and she says the track is something she can share with them. “As soon as my mom heard it, she was like, ‘Oh my God, this is what you need to be making,’ ” Snow explains.
Not that “Nuestra Canción” means Snow is turning exclusively to Spanish-language music. The rapper has dropped a collection of mixtapes over the years, and they’re a testament to her versatility. She’s mostly known for her speed as an MC, but she can also carry a tune — you get a taste of her vocals in “Nuestra Canción’s” sing-songy hook. For fans who miss her aggressive, hard-hitting hip-hop, she promises a second EP coming out later this summer that will boast that sound. And her follow-up album, which she’s working on currently, will prove that all of her multiple dimensions are alive and well.
“I have rap, I have singing, I have Spanish, I have English, I have more pop stuff, I have more underground stuff…My whole career, I’ve been told I have to pick a lane, and I’m like, ‘Why? I’m swerving through the lanes, I’m blurring the lines. I have ADD for real — I can’t commit,” she says.
She doesn’t need to — we’re perfectly happy swaying to “Nuestra Canción” and keeping an eye out on what she does next. She hints at one future plan for “Nuestra Canción:” “I hope we shoot a video so I can have a papi chulo in there!” she jokes. We’ll be waiting.
Half Way There… Pt. 1 drops on June 17 via Atlantic Records.