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Thousands of sweat fans entered a concert hall in Guadalajara last month to hear Los Alegres del Barranco play their successes – including gaunt ballads, like “El Del Palenque”, which celebrate the exploits of drug traffickers. When the images of the hero of this song, the leader of the cartel, Nemesio “El Mencho” Dareguera, appeared on the screen, many revelers broke out in the acclamations.
Such scenes are typical of NarcocorridesA popular genus of Mexican regional music that romantues the cartel figures, their armies and their journey from poverty to wealth. But the country's reaction to this particular concert was different. The event took place weeks after the discovery of a cartel training camp managed by the men of Mencho, full of lots of clothes and bone fragments. Images of the concert triggered political indignation through Mexico.
The benefits were rapid. Group members had their American visas canceled For having pretended to argue the murderous cartel of Jalisco New Generation, listed by the United States. Several local governments of Mexico have been prohibited or have proposed prohibitions on public performance of Narcocorrides. Other popular groups have sworn not to play songs inspired by the trafficker again.
Mexican regional music has exploded in popularity in recent years thanks to streaming and social media – a phenomenon that has made the Mexican singer Peso Pluma the most broadcast artist in Youtube in the United States in 2023.
But the political opposition to Narcocorrides grew up. The Guadalajara concert came at a particularly sensitive moment for Mexico. Homicides and combined disappearances reached around 40,000 people last year, near a record, with sporadic decapitations and massacres in different states – polls show that security is the number one concern.
After the discovery of the Meurguera murder ground, President Claudia Sheinbaum was forced to respond with a new plan to locate the country's 120,000 people.
Sheinbaum is also fighting to convince US President Donald Trump that she is doing enough for dismantle organized crime. He said the Mexican government had an “intolerable alliance” with the drug cartels that provide fentanyl that kills tens of thousands of Americans each year.
With roots in Spanish medieval epic poems, ballads – or enraged – Local bandits became popular during the Mexican revolution at the beginning of the 20th century. The transition to drug traffickers occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, explains Rafael Acosta Morales, associate professor of cultural studies in Latin America at the University of North Carolina.
“At that time, the enraged were absolutely fictitious, and it was only things that some composers thought it seems cool, “he said.” Shortly after, we started to hear enraged On special drug runners. »»
Enraged has become a key element of propaganda for cartels, he adds. In the streets of cities like Culiacán, Sinaloa, which houses the Sinaloa cartel, the groups play open hearings of enragedHoping to be hired for local parties.
Sheinbaum said musical groups should not be apologists for violence, but it is against the ban on songs. Instead, she promotes a music competition sponsored by the government with “positive” messages.
Industry defenders say that their music reflects reality and that performance prohibitions will not loosen the grip on Mexico grip. Juan Carlos Ramírez-Piminta, Spanish professor at the San Diego State University, also underlines that popular culture is controversial, including hyper-violent gangster films.
Previous attempts to prohibit Narcocorrides failed. “They have been taking place since the 90s,” says Ramírez-Piminta. “I don't think popular culture can be legislated.”
Los Alegres del Barranco was called by Jalisco state prosecutors last week. But their song on Oseguera has become viral. The question is whether a repression will reshape the industry or lead it underground. Acosta Morales believes the latter. “If you censorship Narcocorridesyou just turn narcodist in popular heroes.
