Two weeks ago, Los Alegres del Barranco from Sinaloa, Mexico, had their visas revoked. This came shortly after they performed their hit song “El del Palenque” about the drug lord “El Mencho” in concert, and prominently projected his image in the background.
The band was scheduled to perform in California, Texas, and other states, but the “El Mencho” incident cost them their U.S. visas and drew backlash from the Mexican government.
Images of drug lords aside, the narcocorrido genre has long drawn controversy.
A narcocorrido is a take on the traditional Mexican corrido, which is a ballad about people or events. In the case of narcocorridos, the people are figures in the drug world. The genre has been criticized for glorifying and promoting criminal activities. It has even been banned from being performed at public events in some Mexican states.
As the U.S. revoked visas for Los Alegres del Barranco, Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau said, “the last thing we need is a welcome mat for people to extol criminals and terrorists.”
With the U.S. now beating the anti-narcocorrido drum, some musicians are worried about potential censorship here.
“I feel like eventually it’s just going to turn into banning talking about our own experiences and our life, and what we have to deal with,” said student musician Ezra Rodriguez.
Rodriguez is worried about the Trump administration’s decision to revoke visas affecting other performers, including big names that might be considered narcocorrido-adjacent.
One such artist is Peso Pluma, whose genre is the popular corrido tumbado, also known as trap-corrido. This danceable style incorporates elements of rap and narcocorrido.
Pluma is one of the most notable artists in the Latin music world. He has performed at Coachella three times and is not afraid to embrace narcocorrido themes. One of his biggest hits is “El Azul”, a song that is allegedly about the legendary drug kingpin “El Chapo” Guzman.
But this year, during his Coachella performance with Junior H, no narcocorridos were performed.
Some have argued that the Trump administration is stifling free speech and violating the First Amendment by punishing people for their music.
What is happening now with narcocorridos sounds like a familiar tune.
The genre has been likened to 1990s gangster rap for its glorification of the drug world. Back then, popular groups like N.W.A. were similarly condemned. In 1989, the group’s record company even received a letter from the FBI.
Reggaeton is another genre that faced government-sponsored criticism. Though the genre started in Panama, it blew up in Puerto Rico’s underground scene. In the 1990s, police raided record stores to confiscate reggaeton cassettes and CDs. The music was derided as obscene.
It’s too soon to know if more narcocorrido artists will be banned from performing in the U.S. But it’s not the first time we’ve seen a government attempt to police music, and it won’t be the last.