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A narcocorrido (, "narco-corrido" or ''drug ballad'') is a subgenre of the
Regional Mexican Regional Mexican music refers collectively to the regional subgenres of the country music of Mexico and its derivatives from the Southwestern United States. Each subgenre is representative of a certain region and its popularity also varies by ...
corrido The corrido (Spanish pronunciation: Help:IPA/Spanish, oˈriðo is a famous narrative metrical tale and poetry that forms a Ballad (music), ballad. The songs often feature topics such as oppression, history, daily life for criminals, the vaqu ...
(narrative ballad) genre, from which several other genres have evolved. This type of music is heard and produced on both sides of the Mexico–US border. It uses a danceable,
polka Polka is a dance style and genre of dance music in originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though generally associated with Czech and Central European culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the ...
,
waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...
or
mazurka The Mazurka ( Polish: ''mazurek'') is a Polish musical form based on stylised folk dances in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, with character defined mostly by the prominent mazur's "strong accents unsystematically placed on the seco ...
rhythmic base. The first corridos that focus on drug smugglers—the ''narco'' comes from "
narcotic The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "I make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...
s"—have been dated by Juan Ramírez-Pimienta to the 1930s. Early corridos (non-narco) go back as far as the
Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...
of 1910, telling the stories of revolutionary fighters. Music critics have also compared narcocorrido lyrics and style to
gangster rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general thr ...
and
mafioso rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general thr ...
. Narcocorrido lyrics refer to particular events and include real dates and places. The lyrics tend to speak approvingly of illegal activities, mainly drug trafficking.


History

This genre of music is the evolution of traditional
corrido The corrido (Spanish pronunciation: Help:IPA/Spanish, oˈriðo is a famous narrative metrical tale and poetry that forms a Ballad (music), ballad. The songs often feature topics such as oppression, history, daily life for criminals, the vaqu ...
ballads of the Mexican-US border region, which stemmed from the 16th-century Spanish genre of
romance Romance may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings ** Romantic orientation, the classification of the sex or gender with which a pers ...
. In the late 1980s and early 90s, Chalino Sánchez contributed to narcocorridos. Known throughout Mexico as "El Pelavacas" (Cow Skin Peeler) and "Mi Compa" (My Friend), Chalino was a Mexican immigrant living in Los Angeles. He began distributing his music for a sale price. His lyrics dealt with love, betrayal and the reality of life in Mexico. Soon he was selling mass copies. Chalino Sánchez was murdered in 1992 after a concert in
Culiacán Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is a city in northwestern Mexico, the capital and largest city of both Culiacán Municipality and the state of Sinaloa. The city was founded on 29 September 1531 by the Spanish conquistadors Lázaro de ...
. In death, he became a legend and one of the most influential Mexican musicians to emerge from California, he is known throughout the United States and Mexico as El Rey del Corrido (The King of the Corrido). Various companies, governmental agencies, and individuals have sought to ban narcocorridos. These attempts include a voluntary
radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...
black-out in
Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
. Representative Casio Carlos Narváez explained that radio executives did not want to make "people who break the laws of our country into heroes and examples". Former
President of Mexico The president of Mexico (), officially the president of the United Mexican States (), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Constitution of Mexico, the president heads the executive branch of the federal government and ...
Vicente Fox Vicente Fox Quesada (; born 2 July 1942) is a Mexican businessman and politician who served as the 62nd president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006. After campaigning as a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist, Fox was elected president on the Nat ...
also proposed banning narcocorridos. On the other hand, former Mexican foreign secretary Jorge Castaneda has argued that "corridos are attempts by Mexican society to come to terms with the world around them...You cannot blame narcocorridos for drug violence. Drug violence is to blame for narcocorridos".


Lyrical content

Since music plays an important role and major influence in the
narcoculture in Mexico Narcoculture in Mexico is a subculture that has grown as a result of the strong presence of the various drug cartels throughout Mexico. In the same way that other subcultures around the world that are related to crime and drug use (for example t ...
, some songs have been tagged as "anthems" and banned from airplay in Mexico and parts of the United States. However, the banning has failed in Mexico because the music is still displayed and available on several radio stations in the United States, near the border with Mexico, which still reaches the northern Mexico audience, while another important point of narcocorrido distribution method has been the internet for listening and downloading. Pirated (bootleg) copies of this music are sold in the "tianguis" (outdoor and
flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously owned (secondhand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...
s). Narcocorridos describe the lives of the poor, the destitute, and those who seek power through illegal means. Like hip-hop and rap music, the narcocorrido is heard by many Spanish speakers who vary in age, and is popular among people who are not associated with cartels or gangs. The genre is becoming mainstream in many Spanish-speaking countries in recent years, along with the emergence of Narco-subcultures and Drug consumption cultures; it is now entering countries like
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
,
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...
,
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
,
Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
and
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
, where the music is available on an everyday basis. Examples of such anthems include: * "En Preparacion" (In Preparation) (a song that refers to the life of violent sinaloa cartel lieutenant Manuel Torres Félix known as "El Ondeado", brother of Javier Torres known as "El J.T.") by singer
Gerardo Ortíz Gerardo Ortiz (born October 5, 1989) is an American singer in the regional Mexican Regional Mexican music refers collectively to the regional subgenres of the country music of Mexico and its derivatives from the Southwestern United Stat ...
* "El Señor de los Cielos" (The Lord of the Skies) (refers to Drug lord Amado Carrillo) by singer Los Plebes del Rancho de Ariel Camacho * "A Mis Enemigos" (To My Enemies) by
Valentín Elizalde Valentín Elizalde Valencia (; 1 February 1979 – 25 November 2006) was a regional Mexican singer. Nicknamed "El Gallo de Oro" (The Golden Rooster), he was known for his off-key style. His biggest hits included: "Vete Ya," "Ebrio de Amor", an ...
* "El Coco" (The coke head) by El Halcon de la Sierra * "Nave 727" (refers to the "
Boeing 727 The Boeing 727 is an American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavier Boeing 707, 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter ...
" aircraft) by Grupo Laberinto * "Cuerno de Chivo" ("Goat's Horn", Spanish slang for
AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kala ...
rifle) by Los Huracanes del Norte * "Mis Tres Animales" (My Three Animals) (refers to the 3 top selling Mexican narcotics: cocaine, marijuana and heroin). by
Los Tucanes de Tijuana Los Tucanes De Tijuana (English: The Toucans of Tijuana) are a Mexican norteño band led by Mario Quintero Lara. The band was founded in Tijuana, Baja California in 1987. They, along with Los Tigres del Norte, were pioneers in playing their ...
* "El Macho Prieto" (a supposed tribute to drug trafficker Gonzalo Inzunza Inzunza) by Luis Salomon "El Arremangado" * "Ajustes Inzunza" (Retaliations Inzunza) (dedicated to the hitman squad led by Gonzalo Inzunza Inzunza) by Colmillo Norteño * "La Vida Mafiosa" (The Mafia Life) by Los Canelos de Durango * "El Chapo Guzmán" (a tribute to Sinaloa cartel drug lord Joaquín "Chapo" Guzmán) by
Los Tucanes de Tijuana Los Tucanes De Tijuana (English: The Toucans of Tijuana) are a Mexican norteño band led by Mario Quintero Lara. The band was founded in Tijuana, Baja California in 1987. They, along with Los Tigres del Norte, were pioneers in playing their ...
* "El Jefe de Jefes" (The Boss of Bosses) (dedicated to
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo (born January 8, 1946), commonly referred to by his aliases ''El Jefe de Jefes'' ('The Boss of Bosses') and ''El Padrino'' ('The Godfather'), is a convicted Mexican drug kingpin who was one of the founders of the ...
) by
Los Tigres del Norte Los Tigres del Norte (English: ''The Tigers of the North'') are a norteño band from San Jose, California. Originally founded in the small town Rosa Morada in the municipality of Mocorito, Sinaloa, Mexico, with sales of 32 million albums, the ...
* "Chuy y Mauricio" (Jesus and Maurice) by Los Canelos de Durango * "Chingon de Chingones" (The Badass of Badasses) by Los Razos de Sacramento y Reynaldo * "Los Duros de Colombia" (The Colombia Hardhitters) by Gerardo Ortiz * "JGL" (a tribute to Sinaloa cartel drug lord Joaquín "Chapo" Guzmán) by Luis R. Conriquez and La Adictiva * "El Sr. Mayo Zambada" (Mr. Mayo Zambada) (a song dedicated to Sinaloa cartel top Drug lord, Ismael "Mayo" Zambada) by Enigma Norteño. * "El Regreso Del Chapo" (The Return of El Chapo) by El Komander * "Pancho Loco" (Crazy Frank) by Roberto Tapia * "El Corrido de Los Zetas" (The ballad of the Zetas) by
Beto Quintanilla Norberto "Beto" Quintanilla Iracheta (May 23, 1948 – March 18, 2007) was a Regional Mexican singer and songwriter. He was known as "El Mero León del Corrido" (The Top Lion of the Corrido) Biography Beto Quintanilla was originally from Re ...
(Dedicated to the infamous enforcer gang
Los Zetas Los Zetas (, Spanish for "The Zs") is a Mexican criminal syndicate and designated terrorist organization, known as one of the most dangerous of Mexico's drug cartels. They are known for engaging in brutally violent " shock and awe" tactics suc ...
) *"Corrido a Felix Gallardo" (dedicated to
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo (born January 8, 1946), commonly referred to by his aliases ''El Jefe de Jefes'' ('The Boss of Bosses') and ''El Padrino'' ('The Godfather'), is a convicted Mexican drug kingpin who was one of the founders of the ...
) by Los Jilgueros Del Pico Real * "Miguel Angel" (dedicated to
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo (born January 8, 1946), commonly referred to by his aliases ''El Jefe de Jefes'' ('The Boss of Bosses') and ''El Padrino'' ('The Godfather'), is a convicted Mexican drug kingpin who was one of the founders of the ...
) by Dareyes de la Sierra This verse of the song "El Cabron" (1998) by Los Capos is an example of typical narcocorrido subject matter. Original Spanish verse: :Desde que yo era chiquillo tenia fintas de cabrón; ya le pegaba al perico, y a la mota con más razón :Es que en mi México lindo ahí cualquiera es cabrón Exact English translation: :Ever since I was a lad
hild Hild or Hildr may refer to: * Hildr or Hild is one of the Valkyries in Norse mythology, a personification of battle * Hild or Hilda of Whitby is a Christian saint who was a British abbess and nun in the Middle Ages * Hild (Oh My Goddess!), the ult ...
I had the fame of a badass, already hittin' the parrot /nowiki>cocaine">cocaine.html" ;"title="/nowiki>cocaine">/nowiki>cocaine/nowiki> and blowing dope [Cannabis (drug)">cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
] with more reason :It's because in my beloved Mexico anyone there is a badass.


Movimiento alterado

A recent trend of hyper-violent narcocorridos has been labeled ''Movimiento alterado'', a Spanish term translated as ''Agitated movement'' or the ''Altered movement'', The name is a reference to the physiological effect of
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
consumption, an altered state of mind. In the same way that normal narcocorrido lyrics contrast with old traditional corridos (that narrated stories about revolutionaries, "benevolent bandits" or that attempted to give moral message), the lyrics of the 'Movimiento Alterado' songs contrast with previous narcocorridos. More traditional narcocorridos romanticized the trafficking lifestyle, but used many
euphemism A euphemism ( ) is when an expression that could offend or imply something unpleasant is replaced with one that is agreeable or inoffensive. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the u ...
s (with words like "polvo" (powder) for
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
and "cuerno" (horn) for the
AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kala ...
), and kept violence at a minimum (used only when or where a tragic event occurred). However, in the ''Movimiento alterado'' trend, the songs cynically and deliberately express the pride that modern narcotraffickers have in murdering, torture, beheading, and dismembering their rivals, using explicit descriptions of their exploits, and also naming the military grade weaponry they use (grenade throwers, body armor, "bazucas", AR15, 50 caliber bullets, knives etc.) The lyrics of a famous ''Movimiento alterado'' song, dedicated to the notorious cartel enforcer Manuel Torres Félix, starts as follows: The songs under this trend have been also labeled as: *corridos arremangados (rolled-up sleeves ballads) *corridos alterados (alertness ballads) *corridos progresivos (progressive ballads) *corridos enfermos (sick or insane ballads)


Narcocorrido and crime


As money laundering scheme

In Mexico, parts of South America and some regions of the US south border it is common to hear the sudden appearance of "new artists", mainly in folk radio stations, who are not known in the music industry, have no previous career and with no explanation of where they come from. These music groups and singers start to appear consistently on radio, television and public broadcasts with a strong promotion of their concerts. This happens for a fixed amount of time, and in the same sudden way they appear, they stop their promotion and disappear from the music scene, or change their stage name. Such artists are commonly manufactured by producers of dubious origin, who pay
payola Payola, in the music industry, is the name given to the illegal practice of paying a commercial radio station to play a song without the station disclosing the payment. Under U.S. law, a radio station must disclose songs they were paid to pla ...
and do events in order to
launder money Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds in ...
from drug trafficking, prostitution or other illegal operations.


Violence in narcocorrido industry

Between 2006 and 2008, over a dozen prominent Mexican musicians, many of them connected to the ''narcocorrido'' genre, were murdered. The violence came in the midst of the
Mexican drug war The Mexican drug war is an List of ongoing armed conflicts, ongoing Asymmetric warfare, asymmetric armed conflict between the Federal government of Mexico, Mexican government and various Drug cartel#Mexico, drug trafficking syndicates. When the ...
. The most popular musicians killed were
Valentín Elizalde Valentín Elizalde Valencia (; 1 February 1979 – 25 November 2006) was a regional Mexican singer. Nicknamed "El Gallo de Oro" (The Golden Rooster), he was known for his off-key style. His biggest hits included: "Vete Ya," "Ebrio de Amor", an ...
and Sergio Gómez, the lead singer of Chicago-based Duranguense band K-Paz de la Sierra. In December 2007, both men were nominated posthumously for
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
in the banda category. On June 26, 2010, Sergio Vega, known as El Shaka, was gunned down in Sinaloa state. He was shot dead only hours after he had denied reports of his own murder. Ramiro Caro, Gerardo Ortiz's manager and cousin, was also killed when Ortiz's Chevy Suburban was attacked by men with AK-47's in an attempt to kill Ortiz. Ortiz escaped unhurt. Other murdered music industry figures include Javier Morales Gómez (a singer for Los Implacables del Norte), four members of Tecno Banda Fugaz, four members of Los Padrinos de la Sierra, Zayda Peña (a singer for Zayda Y Los Culpables), trumpeter José Luis Aquino of Los Conde, record producer Marco Abdalá, manager Roberto del Fierro Lugo, Jorge Antonio Sepúlveda, Jesús Rey David Alfaro Pulido, Nicolás Villanueva of tropical group Brisas del Mar, four members of Los Herederos de Sinaloa, and the singer Fabian Ortega Pinon (El Halcon de la Sierra), who was executed along with two other victims in Guerrero, Chihuahua, in August 2006. Additionally, three members of Explosión Norteña were shot and wounded in
Tijuana Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...
, in August 2006. While few, if any, arrests have been made in these cases, experts and musicians themselves say that the murders can be explained by many Mexican musicians' proximity to drug traffickers. Some speculate the killings could be related to romantic disputes and jealousy. Others cite cases in which a musician has written a song praising or criticizing a drug trafficker; many assert that Valentín Elizalde's murder, for example, was related to his song, "A Mis Enemigos", which some interpreted as an attack on the
Gulf Cartel The Gulf Cartel ( , or ''Golfos'') is a criminal syndicate, Drug cartel, drug trafficking organization, and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, which is perhaps one of the oldest organized crime groups in Mexico. It is currently bas ...
following its appearance in a widespread
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
video. There has been debate about the motives behind the killings and about whether or not the media has exaggerated the trend. Narcocorrido expert Elijah Wald has disputed the assumption that any of the murders were related or that musicians on the whole are targets for drug traffickers. But given the grisly nature of the murders, some of which were accompanied by torture and disfigurement, few doubt that drug cartel hitmen are to blame. In the wake of the high-profile murders of Elizalde and Gómez, among others, some prominent ''corrido'' musicians postponed concert dates in certain parts of Mexico. ''Narcocorrido'' singers travel with relative ease and security inside the United States, but many Mexican American ''narcocorrido'' singers take extra precautions while venturing into Mexico by hiring extra security, traveling in well-guarded caravans, not being as open to the public in larger concerts, and limiting their tours in high violence cities in Mexico. Others have said they are afraid to sing ''narcocorridos'' in public for fear of offending the wrong person. Likewise, some vendors of ''narcocorrido'' CDs have reported low sales, citing fear among listeners of buying a CD featuring songs favoring one group of traffickers over another. The Zetas cartel has been known to torture and kill online and social media bloggers who speak about them. In one incident, the tortured and mutilated bodies of a man and a woman who had posted about cartels on social media were found hanging off a bridge in the city of Nuevo León, in September 2011. A sign stating, "This is going to happen to all the Internet busybodies", was found next to them signed with the letter Z.


Growing popularity in the United States

Recently, much of the new narco corridos music is being aimed directly at the American market, and produced mainly by Mexican-American entrepreneurs. Like many other concerts or sport events, many corrido artists are choosing American cities as venues for the ability to fill the concert halls at higher ticket prices than would be affordable by the average Mexican citizen. Many of the music and CDs are distributed by American labels as well as videos intended solely to be sold in the United States. The growing popularity of the music in the U.S. is correlated with Mexican immigration. Over a quarter of the residents of the Los Angeles area are now Mexican, and they have brought this folk music style with them. Narcocorridos are now played in L.A. clubs, on radio stations, and do not have the negative stigma attached to them by some in Mexico, this is mainly because the Spanish lyrics are only understood by Hispanophones, and the distance American society has with the reality of Mexico, makes them feel they are only listening to works of art and fiction.


In art, entertainment and media


Films

'' Mexploitation'' films, especially the subgenre narcocinema, feature ''narcocorridos''. Many of these feature appearances by famous ''narcocorrido'' singers and are rumored to be financed by
drug lord A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin, or lord of drugs is a type of crime boss in charge of a drug trafficking network, organization, or enterprise. Crime barons may be difficult to bring to justice: usually, they do not possess illegal goods. Ra ...
s themselves (although only a few cases of the latter have been proven). Some other films which feature ''narcocorridos'' include: * ''Al Otro Lado'' (2006, ''To the Other Side'') * '' Narco Cultura'' (2013, ''Narco Culture'')


Radio

On the radio, airplay of ''narcocorridos'' has increased significantly in recent years. Although illegal in Mexico, given the prohibition of lyrical content promoting crime and violence, US-based Spanish-speaking stations have promoted artists such as Larry Hernández, El Compa Chuy, and El Potro de Sinaloa, and songs such as "El Katch", "El Piloto Canavis" ("The
Cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
Pilot"), and "El Señor de la Hummer" ("The Man with the
Hummer Hummer (stylized in all caps) is an American brand of Pickup truck, pickups launched in 1992 when AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee. Although discontinued in 2010, Hummer returned as a model under GMC (automob ...
") have increased the genre's popularity. Listener requests have helped to overcome radio stations' reluctance to play this type of music.


Television

*In 2008, the
Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
TV show ''
America's Most Wanted ''America's Most Wanted'' (often abbreviated as ''AMW'') is an American television program whose first run was produced by 20th Television, and second run is under the Fox Entertainment#Fox Alternative Entertainment, Fox Alternative Entertain ...
'' mentioned the genre while depicting the case of a criminal wanted for murder and trafficking, who may be traveling back and forth between Mexico and the United States. * ''Breaking Bad'' season 2, episode 7 (" Negro y Azul"), opens with a ''narcocorrido'' by Los Cuates de Sinaloa, co-written by
Vince Gilligan George Vincent Gilligan Jr. (born February 10, 1967) is an American screenwriter and filmmaker. He is best known as the creator, primary writer, executive producer, and occasional director of the AMC (TV channel), AMC crime drama series ''Brea ...
and inspired by the events depicted in the series. *In the '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' episode "Snakes" (2005), a freelance reporter who has gone undercover in the ''narcocorrido''-producing subculture is killed for writing an article critical of the genre. *In ''Law & Order'' season 20, episode 7, a ''narcocorrido'' is used as evidence in a murder. *"Tuyo" ("Yours"), the theme song of the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
Original series ''
Narcos ''Narcos'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro. Set and filmed in Colombia, seasons 1 and 2 are about Colombian narcoterrorist and drug lord Pablo Escobar, leader ...
'' (which debuted in September 2015), is a Spanish-language ''narcocorrido'' written and vocalized by
Rodrigo Amarante Rodrigo Amarante de Castro Neves (born 6 September 1976) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger. He is part of the bands Los Hermanos, Orquestra Imperial, and Little Joy, and released his first solo rec ...
, which reflects the type of music drug kingpin
Pablo Escobar Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist, and politician who was the founder and leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed the "King of Cocaine", Escobar was one of the wealthie ...
's mother would have listened to when raising her son. The song debuted at No. 6 on the Latin Pop Digital Songs around the 2015 series premiere and was nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music This is a list of the winning and nominated programs of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music. In the 1980s and early 1990s, the award was presented with the "possibility of one, more than one, or no award given ...
. *''
The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...
'' season 3 episode, "Safe", contains a ''narcocorrido'' about an unrequited love and the murder of a woman. Later evidence proves that the "victim" is alive and living with her boyfriend, so the ''narcocorrido'' turned out to be fake. After finding several bodies of people killed by
meth lab Clandestine chemistry is chemistry carried out in secret, and particularly in Illegal drug trade, illegal drug laboratories. Larger labs are usually run by gangs or organized crime intending to produce for distribution on the black market. Smalle ...
exposure, the detectives use ''corridos'' based on true stories to close cases. *'' NCIS: Los Angeles'' season 4 episode, "Resurrection", featured a young ''narcocorrido'' singer who was sponsored by a cartel boss and witnessed his illegal activities.


Video games

*In the 2017 video game ''
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands ''Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands'' is a Third-person shooter, third-person tactical shooter video game developed by Ubisoft Paris and Ubisoft Milan, and published by Ubisoft. It was released worldwide on March 7, 2017, for Microsoft Windows, ...
'', the fictional Santa Blanca Drug Cartel (a dangerous
drug cartel A drug cartel is a criminal organization composed of independent drug lords who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the illegal drug trade. Drug cartels form with the purpose of controlling the supply of the i ...
from
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
), which has taken control of
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
, has a radio station called Radio Santa Blanca, which plays
reggaeton Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...
and ''narco-corrido''. In the game's lore, the most famous ''narco-corrido'' singer is Marcelo Rios. Rios has many fans worldwide and in the Santa Blanca Cartel. He works for Santa Blanca's Influence branch as "El Chido" (The Cool), and plays his songs on Radio Santa Blanca.


References


Further reading


Academic articles and books

* * * * * * * * * * "'Esos malditos meneos': La homosexualidad en la corridística mexicana." A Contracorriente: Journal of Social History and Literature in Latin America. Vol. 17, No. 1 (Fall 2019): 246–277. "Narcocultura temprana: El consumo de drogas en la corridística de la primera mitad del siglo XX." Studies in Latin American Popular Culture. Vol. XXXVII. (2019): 201–216. *Ramírez-Pimienta, Juan Carlos. "El narcocorrido en la frontera y la frontera en el narcocorrido." Revista Iberoamericana. 265 (2018) *Ramírez-Pimienta, Juan Carlos. "Narcocorridos and Internet: Demonopolizing Mexico's Narco History in Cyberspace." Hilda Chacón, ed. Online Activism in Latin America. London: Routledge, 2017. *Ramírez-Pimienta, Juan Carlos.Camelia la texana y otras mujeres de la narcocultura. Mexico: Editorial Universidad Autonoma de Sinaloa, 2016. *Ramírez-Pimienta, Juan Carlos.Cantar a los narcos. voces y versos del narcocorrido. Mexico: Editorial Planeta, 2011. *Ramírez-Pimienta, Juan Carlos. "El tema de la traición en tres corridos de narcotráfico y narcotraficantes: 'Carga Blanca','Contrabando y traición' y 'Chuy y Mauricio.' Hispanic Journal. XXXII.2 (Fall 2015): 161-177. *Ramírez-Pimienta, Juan Carlos."El Pablote: una nueva mirada al primer corrido dedicado a un traficante de drogas." Mitologías Hoy. Revista de Estudios Literarios Latinoamericanos. Vol. 14. 2016: 41–56. *Ramírez-Pimienta, Juan Carlos. "De torturaciones, balas y explosiones: Narcocultura, Movimiento Alterado e hiperrealismo en el sexenio de Felipe Calderón." A Contracorriente: Journal of Social History and Literature in Latin America. (Refereed scholarly e-journal). Vol. 10, No. 3 (Spring 2013): 302–334. http://acontracorriente.chass.ncsu.edu/index.php/acontracorriente/article/view/570/1192#.UmXjVflJOSo * * *Ramírez-Pimienta, Juan Carlos. "Sicarias, buchonas y jefas: perfiles de la mujer en el narcocorrido." The Colorado Review of Hispanic Studies. Volume 8 - 9 (2010–2011): 311–336. *Ramírez-Pimienta, Juan Carlos."Doscientos años de corrido y algunos menos de narcocultura." Conciencia mexicana: Bicentenario de la independencia y centenario de la Revolución. Rodrigo Pereyra Espinoza, ed. Edinburg: Céfiro Press, 2010. *Ramírez-Pimienta, Juan Carlos. "Del corrido de narcotráfico al narcocorrido: Orígenes y desarrollo del canto a los traficantes." Studies in Latin American Popular Culture. Special issue on border culture. XXIII (2004):21-41. *Ramírez-Pimienta, Juan Carlos. "Búsquenme en el Internet: Características del narcocorrido finisecular." Ciberletras # 11. Special issue "End of 20th Century Mexican Literature". (July, 2004) *Ramírez-Pimienta, Juan Carlos. "El corrido de narcotráfico en los años ochenta y noventa: un juicio moral suspendido". The Bilingual Review/ La Revista Bilingüe. XXIII.2 (May–August 1998): 145–156. * *Ramírez-Pimienta, Juan. "Chicago lindo y querido si muero lejos de ti: el pasito duranguense, la onda grupera y las nuevas geografías de la identidad popular mexicana." Mexican Studies/Estudios Mexicanos. (2010): 31–45.XXVI.1 *Ramírez-Pimienta, Juan. De El Periquillo al pericazo: Ensayos sobre literatura y cultura mexicana. Ciudad Juárez: Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez Press 2006. *Sauceda, Jonathan. "Smuggling, Betrayal, and the Handle of a Gun: Death, Laughter, and the ''Narcocorrido''." ''Popular Music and Society.'' 37(4): 425–443. https://doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2013.816542 Free version: https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3GB25VX * * A journalistic book about this style, including interviews with most of the foremost composers. *Wellinga, Klaas. "Cantando a los traficantes."Foro Hispánico: Revista Hispánica de los Países Bajos, 22 (2002): 137–54. *


News items

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External links

*https://sdsu.academia.edu/JuanRamirezPimienta *
Narcocorridos.info
*
Narcocorridos.net
* Juan Ramírez-Pimienta
Narcocorrido.wordpress.com
* Includes the story of narcocorrido legend Chalino Sánchez. * * * Cantar a los narcos / Sing to the Drug Dealers (Spanish Edition). This book traces the history of narcocorridos since the 19th century. * https://www.amazon.com/Cantar-narcos-Sing-Dealers-Spanish/dp/6070707206 {{Music in Spanish Mexican styles of music Norteño (music) Regional Mexican songs Songs about drugs Works about Mexican drug cartels 20th-century music genres 21st-century music genres