"Si Wi Dem Nuh Know We," also known as Si We... (Charged For Murder), is a 1994 reggae

Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...

 dancehall single, only released as a 12 inch maxi, featuring Snow, Ninjaman

Ninjaman

Ninjaman, alias Don Gorgon, is a popular dancehall deejay / Actor, known for his controversial and pro-gun lyrics and his stuttering and melodramatic style...

, and Junior Reid

Junior Reid

Delroy "Junior" Reid is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician, best known for the songs "One Blood" and "Funny Man", as well as being the man that replaced Michael Rose as lead vocalist for Black Uhuru.-Biography:...

. Recorded in Jamaica and produced by Junior Reid's One Blood production company, Si Wi Dem Nuh Know We also served as the first track on Snow's second album, Murder Love

Murder Love

Murder Love is Canadian reggae musician Snow’s second album. While his preceding album featured a wide array of musical genres fusing hip-hop, pop, and reggae, Murder Love was recorded in Jamaica and primarily featured dancehall tracks...

. Ultimately, "Si Wi Dem Nuh Know We" earned Snow a Juno

Juno

- Astronomy and space exploration :* 3 Juno, an asteroid** Juno clump, a probable asteroid family in the vicinity of 3 Juno* Juno , a NASA mission to Jupiter* Juno I, a satellite launch vehicle* Project Juno, a private British space programme...

 nomination for Best Reggae Recording in 1996 and reached number one on the Jamaican reggae charts.

Production

After the success of "Informer

Informer (song)

"Informer" is a 1992 single by Canadian reggae musician Snow. It features and is produced by Queensbridge-bred rapper MC Shan, and is from Snow's debut album 12 Inches of Snow. The single was released shortly before Snow was imprisoned for a year on an assault charge...

", Snow began touring Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

 and developed a friendship with dancehall legend, Ninjaman. The two began recording tracks in Jamaica and their joint efforts led to the opportunity to record a track with Junior Reid, one of Snow's musical idols.

Plot and Lyrical Analysis

Si We Dem Nuh Know We is performed entirely in Jamaican Patois and features a heavy base line. Like Informer

Informer (song)

"Informer" is a 1992 single by Canadian reggae musician Snow. It features and is produced by Queensbridge-bred rapper MC Shan, and is from Snow's debut album 12 Inches of Snow. The single was released shortly before Snow was imprisoned for a year on an assault charge...

, all three artists describe a "son" falsely charged with murder. Unlike Informer, Si We Dem Nuh Know We is not a biographical song. Rather, the inspiration for the song came from murder charges levied against Snow's Uncle Patty. As Snow explained, ""It's about an innocent man being charged; anybody who gets falsely accused of a crime."

Reception

Larry Flick gave the tune a positive review, writing "The 'Informer' returns in good company and familiar territory. The three masters of the mike take a jab at keeping pace with bouncy synthesizer stabs and deep bass beats. Despite the crowded bill, the sound remains bare-boned, wicked, and guilty-as-charged of a good beating."