Narco Corridos the History Behind the Glorified Narcos
Narcocorridos:
Giving Mexican-American Youth a Sense of Cultural Identity in the US
Victor Guzman
Psych 141-1979
Con cuernos de chivo y basuca en la nuca/ Equipped with guns and bazookas Volando cabezas al que se atraviesa/ Heads fly of those who stand in the way Somos sanguinarios locos bien ondeados /we shed blood, crazy in the head Nos gusta matar / we like to kill
Pa dar levantotes somos los mejores /we’re the best ones to get the job done Siempre en caravana toda mi plebada /always on caravans with all my people Bien empecherados blindados / bullet-proof vested Y listos para ejecutar/ and ready to execute
Despite Mexico’s symbolic musical representative of the Mariachi band, the more modern music genre of narcocorridos has become more prevalent amongst today’s Mexican-American youth in the United States. The lyrics above are a preview of what the narcocorrido is- a genre known for its story-telling demeanor, its main instruments of the tuba, and accordion, and its lyrical content: the lifestyle and mentality of a drug trafficker in a Mexican drug cartel. Very recently, the narcocorrido has gained much popularity and has even evolved into its own very distinct genre. It’s popularity, however, also gives rise to immense criticism of the genre’s explicit lyrics. The evolution of the corrido into a blood-curling yet catchy style of song has led to two different results. The controversial narcocorridos have gained enough popularity to be arguably giving druglords more fame and power. On the other hand, however, they have also given youth a means from which to gain a sense of cultural identification on the U.S. side of the border. Narcocorridos are a more explicit and more recent version of the traditional corrido that historically dates back to earlier Spanish ballad styles (Wald 3). The Spanish word corrido means two things. It can either signify a
Giving Mexican-American Youth a Sense of Cultural Identity in the US
Victor Guzman
Psych 141-1979
Con cuernos de chivo y basuca en la nuca/ Equipped with guns and bazookas Volando cabezas al que se atraviesa/ Heads fly of those who stand in the way Somos sanguinarios locos bien ondeados /we shed blood, crazy in the head Nos gusta matar / we like to kill
Pa dar levantotes somos los mejores /we’re the best ones to get the job done Siempre en caravana toda mi plebada /always on caravans with all my people Bien empecherados blindados / bullet-proof vested Y listos para ejecutar/ and ready to execute
Despite Mexico’s symbolic musical representative of the Mariachi band, the more modern music genre of narcocorridos has become more prevalent amongst today’s Mexican-American youth in the United States. The lyrics above are a preview of what the narcocorrido is- a genre known for its story-telling demeanor, its main instruments of the tuba, and accordion, and its lyrical content: the lifestyle and mentality of a drug trafficker in a Mexican drug cartel. Very recently, the narcocorrido has gained much popularity and has even evolved into its own very distinct genre. It’s popularity, however, also gives rise to immense criticism of the genre’s explicit lyrics. The evolution of the corrido into a blood-curling yet catchy style of song has led to two different results. The controversial narcocorridos have gained enough popularity to be arguably giving druglords more fame and power. On the other hand, however, they have also given youth a means from which to gain a sense of cultural identification on the U.S. side of the border. Narcocorridos are a more explicit and more recent version of the traditional corrido that historically dates back to earlier Spanish ballad styles (Wald 3). The Spanish word corrido means two things. It can either signify a
Bibliography: Anzaldua, Gloria. The Borderlands - La Frontera: The new Mestiza. Aunt Lute Books, 1999. Beittel, June S. Mexico’s Drug-Related Violence. DIANE Publishing, 2010. Edberg, Mark Cameron. El Narcotraficante: Narcocorridos and the construction of a cultural persona on the US-Mexico Border. University of Texas Press, 2004. McPheters, Mike. Cartels and Combinations. Bonneville Books. Cedar Fort, 2010. Quinones, Sam. True tales from another Mexico: the Lynch Mob, the Popsicle Kings, Chalino and the Bronx. UNM Press, 2001 Smith, Mark M. “Listening to the Heard Worlds of Antebellum America.” Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2002. Wald, Elijah. Narcocorrido: a journey into the music of drugs, guns, and guerrillas. HarperCollins, 2002.