1

Running head: NARCOCORRIDOS

Narcocorridos/ Tales of Myths and Legends Influencing our Society

Rodolfo Moreno
RWS 1302/ Prof. Castillo

Abstract
This research paper looks into the current music genre known as Narcocorridos, and its role in
 2
NARCOCORRIDOS
society. The research and notes were taken from various sources, mainly scholarly works, as well
as online platforms, such as You Tube and some news articles. The sources cited differ in how
negatively or positively this type of music impacts our society, specifically our youth. The
research is done with the knowledge that this genre is impacting two countries in sometimes two
languages that may be hard to compare and contrast. Both the United States and Mexico not only
share a border, but also a culture of drug trafficking and other illegal activities. Narcocorrido
music has been present in the United States since the 1980s, but has just recently spiked in
popularity among our youth. The border towns between the U.S. and Mexico represent the
majority of influence of this music, naturally. All of this popularity has negatively influenced us
as a society including our youth.
 3
NARCOCORRIDOS
Narcocorridos. Tales of myths and legends negatively influencing our society.
Narcocorridos have been in popular Mexican culture for over one hundred years, dating
back to the revolutionary period in its history. With the migration, north into the United States
from Mexico, the music and culture of typical Mexico as well migrated and influenced in a way
a new type of music and ideas. The culture in border towns within the U.S. and Mexico has its
own unique culture. The day to day lives in said cities influence the music that is popular in
those towns. Unfortunately, the border area brings by nature problems such as drug trafficking
and other illegal activities. The music played in local border towns, mainly, have evolved from
corridos to narcocorridos. The change and evolution has been from tales and livings of famous
people and events during revolutionary times in Mexico to now currently depicting the drug
trafficking activities and portraying that type of life as glamours and heroic. A life many young
people look forward to be a part of. The influence in Mexico alone is such that drug cartels are
known to have involvement in political decisions that affect Mexican economy and security. This
involvement is also affecting outside its borders with the U.S. providing aid to curb the illegal
drug trafficking activity entering our country. This music has also influenced what we know as
gangster rap music. Similarities among these two genres clearly show the influence they have on
each other. The addition of internet as a platform to better present this new genre of music has a
clear goal of influencing not only our younger generations, but society in general.

What is a corrido?
The border towns of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, has a mixture of rich
cultures and differences between two nations and its citizens. Life in such a place is very
unique unlike any other place in the world. This area can only be compared to other such border
towns as Douglas, Arizona and Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, among others. Although all border
towns are both alike and different in area and local day to day business, the area in which all of
these
cities are all alike is that of their music. There has always been an interchange of songs and

rhythms between Mexico and the U.S. Everything from joyful music to romantic ballads
 4
NARCOCORRIDOS
There have even been instances where artists crossover to the American market from

Mexico and vice versa, to seek new markets. Among these genres, the one of traditional Mexican

Revolutionary songs has evolved and changed. According to Sarah Berry (2012), The corrido

did not come into its own until the late 19th century. The stories told in corridos included tales of

battle, romantic liaisons, and heroic adventures (p.1). Corridos, Berry (2012) continues, where

not only war-time exploits, but rather a commercial recording that continued into the 1950-60s.

The State utilized this music to promote popular support for state programs. Yet others believe

corridos are stories being told by the people living the experience and not necessarily the way

history is portrayed. Not history as it happened but rather events as the masses believed them

to be Berry (2012). The corridos have also come to interpret in some instances not only stories

of old Mexico, but include current trials and tribulations lived by Mexican immigrants explaining

the dangers of what actually an immigrant faces coming to the United States illegally. The views

of another author in an article are explained similarly. A famous American singer known for her

participation in interpreting Corridos, or Mexican ballads, the musical equivalent of folktales, is

Linda Ronstadt. According to John J. Connor (1987), the songs interpreted by this well-known

American singer during the late 1980s of Mexican ballads are what Corridos began as and what

they were meant to represent. In the repertoire of songs performed, Ronstadt sang Soldadera,

which focused on courageous women fighting alongside Pancho Villa during the Revolt in 1914.

This was an aired special on public television in the U.S. in 1987. The main audience for such a

program was English speaking Americans. The show had subtitles and voiceovers in English to

better explain the lyrics and intent of the songs being performed. Like Ronstadt, other artists

have continued the traditional interpretation of such music known in Mexico for over a century

by now. Berry (2012) stated, Corrido scholars generally consider true corridos to have faded
 5
NARCOCORRIDOS
away in the 1930s, and so consider narcocorridos an aberration rather than a continuation of the

corrido tradition (p.1).

How did narcocorridos come to be?

As times changed, so did the traditions and day to day of Mexican living. This influenced

the change of Corridos as well from traditional Revolutionary stories, romantic feuds and such

tales to now more current events, to include drug trafficking and other illegal activities. It has

evolved into what we know now as Narcocorridos. According to Howard Campbell (2005),

This new genre of Mexican folk/pop music celebrates and chronicles the drug trade and the

lives of high-level traffickers. Campbell (2005) goes on to explain that workers in the drug trade

business are not all wealthy superheroes or villains as portrayed in the music, but rather common

people whose motivation in such activities is mere day to day survival. All of this activity

generated a subculture and stories better told thru music and lyrics. Like bandit predecessors

during the revolutionary times in Mexico, Berry (2012) explains that in the 1970s, a new breed

of bandit came to be. The narcotrafficker emerged and his exploits were also celebrated a boasted

in song. This new type of corrido, now narcocorrido, recounts the bravery, violence and

excitement being committed in an illegal way with little to no consequences. Berry (2012) also

writes about the socioeconomic history of Mexico and how smuggling and bandits came to be as

a response to the lack of economic opportunities.

Have narcocorridos influenced or compare to American gangster rap?

The migration of people from Mexico into the United States over the years has brought

with them customs and traditions, and the music native to their homeland. Helena Simonett

(2001) writes Mexican music has existed in Los Angeles through the last few centuriesand
 6
NARCOCORRIDOS
Mexican Americans, like any other group, assimilated in varying degrees to the American way of

life. As stated earlier by Campbell (2005), narcocorridos is music that celebrates and chronicles

the drug trade and the lives of high-level traffickers. This type of music, says Campbell, was a

product of how common drug trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico border has become. This has

generated a sub-cultural style that includes music and folklore. Over time, the similarities in

strong lyrics and content, to American gangster rap, has created a kind of relationship of give and

take between both genres. Morrison (2008) explains in her article that Wither or not one agrees

with this framework of decline, the gender politics of todays narcocorridos do suggest an

abandonment of old-fashioned codes of chivalry in favor of a more chauvinistic, boasting

mentality closely akin to that of hardcore rappers. In this same article, the explanation of how

gangster rap differs from narcocorridos is in how rappers tend to have lyrics that explain why

and how someone was led to drug trafficking and typically attack how these same drug

traffickers attack and exploit poor communities. As well different to narcocorridos, rap songs do

not tend to critique governments policies towards drugs as narcocorridos do. The immigration of

Mexican people into areas of Los Angeles, for example, into communities that are prominently

black, has over time created tension and outright hostility. Morrison (2008) At other times,

however, it results in novel cultural fusions, such as narcocorridos new found gangsta lean

(p.380).

How popular are narcocorridos?

Popularity of narcocorridos has been significant both in the Unites States and Mexico for

many reasons. The illegal migration of people from Mexico has brought to the United States a

new culture, and with them new traditions and music, with narcocorridos being one of them.

Narcocorridos have in recent years seen an increase in popularity due to the ongoing crack down
 7
NARCOCORRIDOS
by the Mexican government to curb the production and trafficking of drugs to the U.S. and other

countries. The United States plays a big role in funding these ongoing efforts, as explained by the

various people being interviewed in a video by SeBaZtIaNGNR. This video is compiled as a way

to make fun of the hypocrisy involved in the way Mexican government has played a part in the

escape of one of the worlds most notorious and wanted man at the time, and still is to this day,

Joaquin Chapo Guzman. Although drug trafficking has been a battle for the Mexican

government since the 1970s, people still to this day do not trust on their government. Such has

been the involvement of the drug cartels in Mexico that it is believed the government itself is ran

by the large drug cartels it has set out to destroy. Berry (2012) writes, Civilian trust in the army

and federal police is tepid at best; there is a common belief that the military, either with or

without the complicity of the government, is working not to destroy all the cartels but to destroy

competition for the Sinaloa cartel of Joaquin Chapo Guzman (p.7). All of these stories and

tellings are of course transformed to lyrics coupled with music that become narcocorridos. The

truth behind most of these songs gives the impression of greatness and something to look up to

or forward to for many citizens that do not have the means or access to opportunities

economically. Going back to the you tube video created by SeBaZtIaNGNR, there are excerpts

from different news outlets from around the world of when Joaquin Chapo Guzman, presented

as El Chapo from now on, escaped a maximum security prison in Mexico back in 2001. There

are government officials that worked during that time giving testimony and their own version of

what really happened and why El Chapo was able to escape. The investigations into the prison

break came back to say there was involvement from high ranking officials and bribes from El

Chapo to successfully escape. All of this of course is presented in the video with a catchy beat

and lyrics being interpreted by what is believed to be a white male, in English, with traditional
 8
NARCOCORRIDOS
accent when pronouncing Spanish words. The lyrics go on to tell the date El Chapo escaped and

from where and how. All of this adding to the overall sense of making fun of the Mexican

governments lack of professionalism and involvement with a major drug cartel taking bribes and

such. Narcocorridos are as well presented this way and not necessarily with violent lyrics.

Popularity of this music has been such so that artists, as explained by Amanda M. Morrison

(2008) banda and norteno musicians otherwise unassociated with narcoculture feel compelled

to include a few narcocorridos in their repertoires. As seen in Appendix A, the characterization

of a group that plays traditional Mexican music is now shown to entangle in the drug and

violence environment that has become popular.

In another video that was part of my research, a video found on a news media page,

shows how far the popularity of narcocorridos have come to be among youth. Redaccion (2017)

shows in a news article accompanied by a video, the way a young teen girl decides to celebrate

her Quincenera, or debutant party, from a traditional choreographed dance to a more modern and

by many, shocking choreography. Quoting and translating Redaccion (2017), the above video

shows how a young teen decided to celebrate her debutant dance, contrary to tradition, and in a

real and shocking manner. She decided her accompanies be dressed wearing masks just like drug

trafficker security forces and for her to be kidnapped during the dance. The scary fact is that all

of this was done in a joking manner not realizing the reality and impact such acts have and

continue to happen in real life to real people. All of this was choreographed to a very explicit

narcocorrido with gunshot sound effects among other loud sounds. Not to mention the screaming

and yelling of acting dancers all moving and enjoying the theme song. The insensitivity of this

group of people can unfortunately be taken as a general public conscience that this type of music

is well accepted and not taken literally no matter how explicit and violent the lyrics may be. The
 9
NARCOCORRIDOS
playing of narcocorridos has worried the Mexican government to the point of extreme measures.

According to Scott Simon (2009), The romanticizing of traffickers and the glorification of the

drug trade has irritated the Mexican government to the point that narcocorridos are banned from

the Mexican airwaves and so a curious flip-flop has occurred. The program Killer Corridos airs

each afternoon on Radio Papalote in Edinburg, Texas, about 20 miles north of the Rio Grande.

Its one of the stations along the U.S. side of the border that broadcasts prohibited corridos deep

into Mexico. The interpretation on these songs in Spanish and not English is probably the

reason the U.S. government has not stepped in as well to ban these explicit and violent themed

songs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this research was meant to show different ways narcocorrido music genre

has negatively influenced our society. The rich culture where corridos come from and their initial

intent has changed and evolved into a more gruesome and explicit genre. With the glorification

of drug traffickers and their violent ways of conducting business all rhythmically interpreted,

the catchy music has turned our society to a less sensitive and more accepting of criminals and

illegal activities. The romantic and storytelling beginnings of corridos in old Mexico has been

traded for bloody battles among rival drug cartels and stories of government corruption and

involvement in such activities. The integration of Mexican immigrants into our U.S.

communities has as well contributed to such genres as American gangster rap. The part of our

society that has more influence from this type of music is of our youth. The use of media

platforms to distribute this genre better, faster and uncensored, has painted a fictional way of life

in drug trafficking with very little reality in the illegality and consequences. The barrier of
 10
NARCOCORRIDOS
language seems to also play a role in how the government can overlook this influence and not try

to ban or limit the interpretation of narcocorridos in the United States.

References

Berry, S. (2012). Heroes or villains: Placing narcocorridos in the Mexican corrido tradition.
Digital Commons, 1-11.
Campbell, H. (2005). Drug trafficking stories: Everyday forms of narco-folklore on U.S.-Mexico
border. International Journal of Drug Policy, 16 (5), 326-333.
Esch, S. (2014). Rascon Bandas contrabando and the Narcoliterature debate in Mexico. Latin
American Perspectives,195,41(2), 161-176.
Holscher, L. & Fernandez, C. (2001) Contrabando y corrupcion: The rise in popularity of
narcocorridos. National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Annual
Conference, 14, 161-173.
Morrison, A. (2008). Musical trafficking: Urban youth and the narcocorrido-hardcore rap nexus.
Western Folklore, 67(4), 379-396.
Oconnor, J. (1987) Corridos! an adaptation of Mexican folk tales. The New York Times, 1-2.
Redaccion. (2017) Adios Rubi, ella celebro sus XV al estilo narco. Netnoticias.mx .
SeBaZtIaNGNR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49x6wk2unoo
Simon, S. (2009) Narcocorridos: Ballads of Mexican cartels. NPR
Simonett, H. (2001). Narcocorridos: an emerging micro music of Nuevo L.A. 45(2). Vanderbilt
University, 315-332.
 11
NARCOCORRIDOS

Appendix A
Illustration by Matt Taylor (2011) Wired Magazine.