Known for her rapid-fire bilingual flow and sharp wit, Snow tha Product takes the mainstage Saturday night at Plaza de César Chávez for Silicon Valley Pride’s 50th anniversary celebration.
The choice to make the queer Mexican-American rapper the headlining act Saturday was an easy one, Nicole Denson says: “Everything that Snow stands for, her music, her life, really speaks to our mission of Silicon Valley Pride.”
This year’s theme for Pride is “Unstoppable”—a word Snow says couldn’t fit more perfectly.
“For a long time I think I held myself back because I thought I needed validation, needed accolades, needed a manager, or a label. Now I am in a place where I know I don’t need this kind of support. I’m showing up and I’m coming as my full, true self. I know my ‘why’ and for who I do it for, and that to me is what makes you unstoppable,” she says. “The power that you take back when you finally stop coming from this place of ‘I need,’ and start showing up as your real self, that is what it’s about.”
The rapper has been outspoken on social media and in her music about issues like immigration rights and gender equality since the beginning of her career in the early aughts of the 2000’s. She saw immediate success after the release of several mixtapes and began touring internationally. In 2012, she signed to Atlantic Records following acclaim for her independently released debut album, Unorthodox, and the rest is history.
Breaking through in a predominantly male-dominated space as a woman is challenging enough but also being queer brings double the challenge. Through it all, Snow has continued to develop her artistry and carve her own path as a talented digital creator, entrepreneur and woman emcee.
After establishing herself as an independent artist once more in 2018, she continued to see success with her music and branching out into the digital entertainment space with livestreaming and podcasting. Most recently, in 2021, Snow received her first Latin GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Song for a collaborative project with Argentinian producer Bizarrap.
Despite seeing continued success as a trailblazing rapper, being Latina and queer in the music industry has “unfortunately held me back in a lot of places,” she says. “But I think it speaks a lot to my character that I still showed up as myself.”
“I don’t think that a queer Latina is going to get as much support as most artists you know. Unless your queerness is packaged somehow for the male gaze, people still don’t accept it within the Latino community,” Snow says. “They’d rather see a straight woman kiss another straight woman and go back to her boyfriend on stage for shock value and get all the headlines than to actually support real queer women.”
“We’re the ones that get harassed on the street, we’re the ones that get blackballed, or ignored in our families and sometimes straight people get to just cosplay, and then go back to their life.”
The rapper says what motivates her is the next generation—and the hope that they’ll continue to carry the torch forward by showing up as themselves and representing the LGBTQ community in all spaces.
“And maybe they’ll take the next generation even further because they saw themselves represented, because they saw that it was possible.”
Snow’s discography, a blend of Spanish and English lyrics intertwined with quick, clever quips performed with an inimitable charm and cadence, is expansive. Many of her songs feel personal and they’re as relatable as they are intergenerational. And her journey to being the confident, queer Latina rapper she is lauded as today is a story many queer people can resonate with.
“My mom is one of nine, my dad is one of nine. I wish I could say I have more family that is very supportive, but…” she shares. “It doesn’t affect me any more. At this point in my life, I live in a small bubble. I’ve been OK with living my life without those that don’t necessarily support me; we don’t see each other. No love lost.”
The artist says she had to “carve out the people in my family that supported me, and love them,” and the people that didn’t, she carved herself out of their lives.
“Life is a journey, and it’s about finding the people who are going to take that ride with you. You create your own family as you go. I’ve got my people,” she says, smiling.
The independent artist has built a fiercely loyal fanbase despite a major label’s backing for years, which is a rarity in the music space. “We have the sauce, and we know the fans love what we’re doing,” she says.
Her performance for SV Pride will be a special one—San Jose is a place she calls home, and Plaza de César Chávez’s main stage is a space where years of activism, artistry and identity will converge in front of her many fans, friends and communities.
“Every time any of my communities ask me to represent, I show up. San Jose is my roots,” she says. “When my parents migrated to the United States, that’s where everyone was—San Jose, the Bay Area. We still come back to visit Chuck E. Cheese and it’s so cozy. That’s where some of my happiest memories were.”
Snow joins an iconic roster of past Pride performers, including RuPaul (1998), Cyndi Lauper (2000), and Robin S (2023). Her mainstage performance Saturday evening will be an opportunity to set the tone for a weekend where music, activism and unapologetic self-expression all intersect in the ultimate annual celebration of joy, and of responsibility.
A full week of Pride-themed events—listed online and on SV Pride’s Instagram with partners tagged—leads up to the main weekend. The celebration kicks off on Aug. 30, with the Night Festival from 6 to 11pm, featuring Watsonville wordsmith DannyV and headliner Snow tha Product.
On Sunday, the annual SV Pride Parade steps off at 10:30am, starting at Julian and Market streets and culminating at Plaza de César Chávez. The festivities continue with the Day Festival at noon, bringing entertainment, food, family-friendly activities, and a performance by newly crowned RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 winner Onya Nurve.
General admission is $45.59 on Saturday and $14.51 on Sunday. For more details, visit svpride.com.
I traveled over 2000 miles to see Snow perform in her hometown as the headliner for PRIDE. Her performance was electrifying! It was more than I could ever imagined. So thankful for her representation, her voice and courage, especially while our communities are being attacked by this regime! I’ll forever be a Snow Tha Product fan!!! Another weekly drop this week called M.A.M.A in anticipation for her BEFORE I CRASH OUT mixtape! 🔥 snowthaproduct.com