Drug lord of the dance
Y se persigna en la iglesia
Y aveces las residencias
Aveces casa campaña
Los raídos y las metrallas
Durmiendo al piso en la cama
De techo aveces las cuevas
He escaped from hell
And crossed himself in church
Sleeping sometimes in homes
Sometimes in tents
Shrapnel and rifles
At the foot of the bed
As a roof sometimes caves
-The Vultures of Culicán
Narcocorrido translates as “drug-ballad”. Heard on both sides of the border (both Mexico and the United States), the form is a sort of danceable polka – describing the poor, the destitute, bandits, criminals and illegal immigrants. The first corridos to focus solely on drug smugglers – the narcos have been dated to the 1930′s. The lyrics pertain to particular events, real dates, people and places related to the criminal activities of the elusive cartels and their dealings. The songs promote the renegade mystique of the sly drug lords, embedding the popular legend of the outlaw aesthetic into modern Mexican culture. It’s said that the narco-kings personally commission ballads to justify their conduct and immortalise their accomplishments.
The potent mixture of money, ruthlessness and trickery provides fertile ground for the songwriters imaginations. There is a complex relationship between the cartels and the communities in which they operate with impunity. An orchestrated balance of fear and respect plays it’s part: On the one hand terrorising rivals with kidnapping, killings and torture (dissolving bodies in acid is not unknown) – and on the other building loyalty in communities by funding new schools and churches. The protagonists are part-monster, part hero; a combination which keeps their whereabouts shrouded in silence. The ring-leaders are protected by a sophisticated reconnaissance operation with deep roots in the local population. Those who watch out are anyone from taxi drivers, street sellers, shoe shiners and delivery men – anyone equipped with a phone who wants to earn a few dollars by informing on military or police activity.
Don't fret about it
The composers and performers of the ballads range from international superstars to rural singers documenting their local current events in regions dominated by guerilla war. From the heartland of Mexican drug traffic to urban centres such as Los Angeles, the songs function as a sort of musical newspaper, singing of government corruption, the lives of immigrants in the United States, and the battles of the Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas. Although largely unknown to English speakers, corridos top Latin charts and dominate radio playlists in the United States and south of the border. There is poetry and social protest behind the gaudy lyrics of powerful drug lords. The genre of Narcocorrido shows how popular music can remain the voice to the people, even in this modern world.
The violence of the Mexican drug war has also touched the lives of narcocorrido musicians. Between 2006 and 2008, over a dozen prominent Mexican musicians, many of them connected to the narcocorrido genre, were murdered. There has been debate over the motives behind the killings and over to whether the media has exaggerated the trend. The assumption that any of the murders were related or that musicians on the whole are targets for drug traffickers has been disputed. 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.
For anyone who’s seen the most recent series of American drama / black comedy Breaking Bad will be familiar with the unique if strange way Episode 7 was opened with a song from Mexican cousins Los Cuates de Sinaloa. The video is like something you would see on Latin MTV with Spanish and English subtitles. The song tells us about lead character Walter White, his pure-grade crystal meth and growing infamy with cartels south of the New Mexico border. Check out the track here.
Download Los Cuates de Sinaloa – Negro Y Azul
