Mexico Declares War on 'Narco-Ballads' as States Ban Thug-Glorifying Tunes
Mexican states are increasingly banning or restricting the performance of narcocorridos, popular ballads glorifying drug traffickers and violence, in an effort to combat the promotion of criminal culture.
The drums of war are beating, but this time the enemy isn't a rival cartel – it's the music.
Across Mexico, a controversial crackdown is underway against "narcocorridos," the hugely popular ballads that glorify the high-flying, blood-soaked lives of drug traffickers and their cold-blooded crimes. State governments, fed up with tunes that turn cartel kingpins into folk heroes, are slapping down bans, canceling concerts, and hitting performers with massive fines in a desperate bid to stop the music that many say fuels the country's epidemic of violence.
