Narcocorridos: Varying Perception Across the Border
Often referred to as the gangster rap of Mexico, Narcocorridos are centered on the drug cartels of Mexico and are frequently used as an outlet for boasting and violence. Emerging in the 1980s and 1990s, the narcocorrido has become a hugely popular style of Mexican music. Although controversial in Mexico, Narcocorrido has gained popularity throughout the US, especially in California. The violence portrayed through this music is often embraced by many Hispanics in the US as a part of the gangster lifestyle. Narcocorridos, although a modern form of popular corridos, developed due to the historical and cultural significance of drugs throughout Mexico. The prevalence of these drugs stoked popular fascination with the varying experiences of narcos and their exploits. There is a drastic difference in the way the narcocorrido is perceived on either side of the US-Mexico border. The American perception stereotypes narcocorridos as entertaining, while across the Mexican border the contents are taken more seriously and are a reflection of real-life events and serious problems throughout Mexico. The contents of narcocorridos are damaging and destructive to its audience; however, due to popular interest, narcocorridos maintains a varying perception in Mexico and America.
A product of the corridos and the norteño styles of Mexico, Narcocorridos are a recent style of music in Latin America. The Spanish word corrido means to be “moved” and the ballad style of Narcocorridos reflects the traditional corrido style, while also using the norteño instruments and rhythm. The Polka beat and use of string instruments incorporates the ideology of mestizaje. The corrido’s roots lie in the ...
... middle of paper ...
...he success of the artists, the reality of the drug trade overshadows this sense of pride. Culturally, America is fascinated with popularizing music that is perceived as damaging. Due to its association with drug trafficking and the history of drugs in Mexico, Narcocorridos have captured the American customary significance in music. The culture associated with the drugs should not be glamorized nor should they be popularized. Mexico continues to endure its struggle to control drug trafficking, while America sits back and listens to the consequences and exploit drugs in Mexico. The negative reception of drugs faded due to the ubiquity of drug trafficking in Mexico and its surrounding countries. As a popular form of music, Narcocorridos counteracts the heroic narratives initially associated with corridos and fortifies the negative image associated with the drug trade.
Alfredo Corchado — is the author of the book named " Midnight in Mexico:A Reporter's Journey through a Country's Descent into Darkness”. We are, probably, all interested in finding out the facts, news, and gossips about Mexico. This country was always associated with something mysterious. For me personally, the title of the book seemed to be very gripping, I was interested in revealing the secrets of life in Mexico, thus I decided to read this book. I was really curious, what can Alfredo Corchado tell me about the life in this country, the country, where the constant massacre is the picture, people used to see. In his book, the author tells the reader about the real situations, which took place in Mexico, reveals the secrets of the people’s lives and tells the story from the “inside”. He describes the way he lives his life, and does his work. The " Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter's Journey through a Country's Descent into Darkness” is a memoir. Author tries to transform his own experience into the story line. Corchado shows the reader the darkest episodes of Mexican society, while relying on his own experience.
`La Tierra de Alvargonzález' is similar to the old ballads in its content of crime and violence. Machado leaves much of the background o...
Explanation- This article gives brief information about the singer’s music, her main type of music is traditional Mexican music infused with jazz soul, African root, and klezmer music. Lila’s music is so unique that there is no way...
Mexico’s drugs wars as well as bloody drug cartels are echoed in a controversial folk music genre commonly known as narco corridos or simply as drug ballads. They tell the stories allied to shootouts, drug lords, betrayals including daring criminal operations. Narco corridos are not a new style in Mexican music, in fact, they have been around for years, and they are popular among the old and the young. This genre has evolved to be modern fugitive music that fuses the emotional responses of antique ballads with the tense gravel of mobster rap. From global idols to rural artists documenting their neighborhood current events in the regions subjugated by guerilla war, narco corridos provides the songwriters in their homes with unique but artistic superiority, investigating the heartland of the infamous Mexican drug trafficking as well as publicizing municipal midpoints such as Los Angeles, in addition to Mexico City.
Ragland, Cathy. Música Norteña: Mexican Migrants Creating a Nation between Nations. Philadelphia, PA: Temple UP, 2009. Print.
Another reason why narco corridos are an influence to society is their disrespect towards women, since the genre of music is about glorifying drugs and illegal money, artists tend to sing about luxuries cars parties and they also make women seem like an object that can be bought by their illegal activities. In narco corrido videos there is always more than one women half naked dancing around a man that thinks he deserves it all. It has always been around that women back then would do whatever their husband would tell them to do even if men would go around with other women, well narco corridos try to bring the message back of men having more than one women and just showing off the money they have living a criminal life. This attitude going on
During the late 19th century and early 20th century, a form of Mexican folk music called the corrido gained popularity along the Mexico-Texan border (Saldívar). Growing from the Spanish romance tradition, the corrido is a border ballad “that arose chronicling the history of border conflicts and its effects on Mexican-Mexican culture” (Saldívar). A sort of “oral folk history,” the corrido was studied intensely by Américo Paredes, who then constructed his masterpiece, George Washington Gomez, around the “context and theme” of the corrido (Mendoza 146). But the novel is not a traditional corrido, in which the legendary hero defends his people and dies for his honor. Instead, through its plot, characterization, and rhetorical devices, George Washington Gomez is an anti-corrido.
Drugs have been influencing the ideas, culture, and music of America for ages. Illicit narcotics have left the Union in a state of immense debt. Anti-drug policies have been dumping billions upon billions of dollars in prevention, punishment, and rehabilitation. From the roaring twenties, to the prohibition, drugs have always been fought (Bailey). Most times, the drugs start off as medicines and end up being harmful (Morris). Perhaps, the most prominent and influential eras of drug use in America are the two decades of the 60’s and twenty years later, the 80’s. It may very well be that these two decades molded America into what it is now.
"El Corrido Mexicano." El Corrido Mexicano La Cucaracha Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013
*Many of the juvenile gangs that have formed in the United States in recent years are reminiscent of the post -war pachucos (Paz, 14).
Mexico has an extended past of cartel deaths, drugs and weapon trafficking is in all time high growing year by year. Mexico's gangs have succeeded since the late 19th century, mostly in the northern part due to their vicinity to towns along the U.S.-Mexico border. But it was the American desire for cocaine in the 1970s that gave Mexican drug cartels enormous power to the production and transport illegal drugs across the border. Initial Mexican gangs were mainly situated in border towns where prostitution, drug abuse, breach of copyright and extortion succeeded. The United States devotes almost $500 million a year on backing Mexico’s war against cartels that shifts drugs to American consumers. Last year the Armed Forces police explain that 70 percent of the illegal guns impounded from Mexican Drug cartels in the five years previous had been U.S. made.
“Mexicans smugglers have long trafficked homegrown heroin and marijuana to the U.S. But in the 1980’s, mexico also became the primary route for colombian cocaine bound for the U.S” (Bates). According to Bates, when Guadalajara’s leader was arrested in 1989, the groups remaining capos, including a young Guzman divided up its trafficking routes, creating the Sinaloa, Juarez, and Tijuana Cartels.
They got caught up in a shootout between two gangs. Politicians and Ministers were quick to point the finger at today’s music. influencing gun crime in the U.S. The minister for tourism said, ‘The hateful. lyrics almost connote a culture killing is a fashion accessory”.
With the music being the highly profitable, capitalist enterprise that it is today, it is no wonder that it is controlled and regulated by a few large conglomerates that exist is today’s world. It is important to make clear that although evidence is being presented of the positive aspects of globalization through music that there is overwhelming evidence that cultural imperialism is more than it seems on the outside. One must keep in mind that cultural imperialism, globalization and the creation of a global village is a business. People are profiting at other people’s loss of cultural identity, they are sold a culture and heritage. With the every growing N’Sync fan clubs and Britney clones, the world is turning into a stage for pop culture and its glamorous unattainable standards.
For hundreds of years millions of people have used and abused narcotics. Two of the most widely known and abused sources of narcotics are cocaine and opium, the latter being used since the early eras of Chinese history for centuries before it’s addictive and dangerous nature was fully realized. Ancient Egyptians even had writings about themselves and Romans using opium poppy for pain relief during child birth, chewing the poppy leaves would produce a decent analgesic effect. Cocaine itself was used in its base form for just as long and with its stimulating effect on the respiratory system, allowed laborers the stamina to perform their duties in thin air and or high altitude environments. So what is it about these two substances with their seemingly amazing medicinal uses can create such a widespread problem and need for control?