International Media Discovers Narco Corridos

Hey, yo, wanna know Latinoids are up to? Apparently they’re listening to something called “narco corridos?” Perhaps you’ve heard of them before, like in the New York Times some two years ago or on Guanabee on nearly a monthly basis as we’ve recounted the fact that many Mexican singers have been targeted and murdered by drug cartels for singing about their activities. 

Reuters, in an article amusingly titled “Outlaw ballads hitting target with Latino fans,” explains what narco corridos are, since mainstream audiences generally have no interest in Latino news or culture unless these somehow involve dead Mexicans or food or sexy people in bathing suits leaning on cars. The article adds that this genre is recently getting more radio play in Mexico. You may recall that in some places, like Tijuana, it was / is illegal to broadcast narco corridos on the radio, given their violent and often incendiary content. 

Perhaps in an attempt to successfully appeal to or resonate with American audiences, narco corridos are described in the article as being not entirely diffferent from gangster rap, with violence, risk, alcohol consumption, drug use and material wealth being standard references:

In contrast to Los Tigres del Norte, the new crop of acts leaves nothing to the imagination. The players in their songs traffic drugs, they get high, and they make money, as evidenced in the hit “El Katch,” performed by both El Compa Chuy and El Potro de Sinaloa (”Armani, Dolce y Gabbana, Land Rover to cruise/With dollars in my bag and Buchanan’s to drink.”)

And, like gangster rap, some in the industry believe the songs, while often shocking and explicit, pose no threat to society because they are often heard by suburban kids who hate their parents and whose number one goal is either trying to grow a mustache or tricking eighth grade girls into touching their boners:

But while this [drug-related violence] may be the reality in Mexico, it isn’t the same in the United States. This fact, producer Adolfo Valenzuela says, makes the songs harmless — and appealing — in the United States. “Here, it would be almost impossible for (young people) to go around toting guns,” says Valenzuela, whose company, Twiins Enterprises, has signed several new acts like El Kommander. “I think they merely see it as something forbidden and cool. They see it as a new trend.”

Does this mean the Latin Grammys will eventually have a “Best Narco Corrido” category? Will a surge in popularity mean Americans north of the border will further demonize Latinos, especially Mexicans, or come to better understand the drug culture in Mexico? Or will it not matter, since there’s no chance that any non-Latinos will be listening to outlaw ballads? 

Outlaw ballads hitting target with Latino fans [Reuters]