Hillary Clinton wrapped up her first visit to Mexico yesterday, the U.S. Secretary of State made international headlines when she publicly declared that the United States felt “we have a co-responsibility” for Mexico’s escalating drug related violence and the White House announced a $700 million strategy for improved border security along the United States’ southern border. To say the situation in Mexico is dire wouldn’t do the situation justice. According to reports, some 8,000 people have been killed in the past two years alone, and authorities now believe the violence is spilling into the American streets as well.
But as the mainstream media and the government have begun cranking the volume on the situation in Mexico, one aspect of the story has remained criminally quiet: the way music—specifically narcocorridos, a ballad-driven subgenre of Mexican pop music about the drug trade—has affected and been affected by the current climate. Leave it to VIBE to bring the noise. In our April issue, author Sam Quinones investigates the situation, drawing lines that no other outlet would think to draw in his shocking piece, “Musica De La Muerte.” Like gangster rap, narcocorridos rides the line between the legal and criminal worlds, and tragically, more than a few artists have been caught in the crossfire. To read Quinones’ full story, be sure to pick up the April 2009 issue, on newsstands now. Here are a few narcocorridos videos in the meantime. Get familiar!
"El Cadaver de Sergio Gomez”- Sergio Gomez lead signer of the multi-platinum pop group K-Paz de la Sierra was kidnapped in the middle of the night after a show in his home state of Michoacan. Mexico. His body was found the next day, his murder has yet to be solved.
“Muerte de Valentin Elizalde” - Valentin Elizalde was known for signing narcocorrios (ballads about the drug trade), it is widely believed that his death was a direct result of his song “A Mis Amigos”, a perceived snub to the Gulf cartel. In November 2006, Elizalde was killed along with his manager and his driver, their vehicle riddled by automatic weapons after a show in Reynosa, near the border of Texas.
“Jefe Pura Placa (Chapo Guzman)” - This one is praising the drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman the legendary leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel, who was just named to the Forbes list of Billionaires. Forbes lists his wealth from “drug trafficking”, which caused some controversy.
“La Loquera” and "Los Zetas" - The Mexican drug cartels earn nearly $20 billion a year and use videos, like the ones below, posted on YouTube to terrify the public with impunity. Below are two examples.
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