Corridos

Introduction

The global awareness I will be focusing on is the ability to compare and contrast the unique characteristics of world cultures and the universality of human experience through examination of traditions, social organization, and ways of life. I will be using topics of Mexican Corridos and more specifically, Narcocorridos in relation to various differing cultures. More precisely focusing on music and societal tendencies when confronting the music to confine its followers and artists into a definitive box; a far too common trend.

The presence of dividedness is great; especially when everyone can be exposed to each other’s thoughts and concerns at the touch of a button. It is easy to forget or disregard the mass commonalities cultures and societies share, especially when they are geographically different. But a great way to view the human experience and commonalities embedded in so, is through music. Music gives insight into human nature: how we act and react to certain situations, how we show love, how we show hate, but most importantly, how each song is an example of how we interact with our peers, communities, and societies.

A song that focuses on violence and hate - although everyone can agree they hold negative subjects - is a direct product of the environments surrounding the artists. This can be seen in music all around the world: from rap in the US to Drill music in Ghana, to British heavy metal, and of course, Mexican Corridos.

Although I am a fan of Corridos and listen to them frequently, I am not familiar with its history or impact. By the end of this paper, I hope to not only further my education of the Mexican Narocorrido but also expose myself to different genres of music around the world which hold similar topics, comparing the human experience through examination of traditions, social organization, and ways of life.

I will survey these comparisons of music through the five aspects of society: political, economic, social, idealistic, and artistic. By exploring the five aspects and their relation to Corridos, not only will I gain a better understanding of the impact of Corridos, but the similarities it holds in comparison to other societies as well.

Political

Similar to the United States, Mexico has a Federal Republic; meaning that the government is run by elected officials and an elected leader (the president). Now this is important to note because in these types of societies, there have to be radicals: the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor.

A paper by the City University of New York titled, Advantages and Disadvantages of Federalism, proved the “stark economic differences across states have a profound effect on the well-being of citizens. For example, in 2014, Maryland had the highest median household income ($73,971), while Mississippi had the lowest ($39,680).” (Advantages and Disadvantages of Federalism, CUNY). While this example relates to the United States, the results in Mexico are even more dramatic: “Households in Nuevo León recorded the highest average income with 87,653 (4,985.73 USD) pesos per quarter, followed by Ciudad de México with 70,834 (4029.06 USD) pesos. The states with the lowest average income per household were Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca, with 23,258 (1322.92 USD), 26,980 (1534.63 USD), and 27,704 (1575.81 USD) pesos, respectively.” (BBVA Offical Research). An obvious difference.

But why does this matter in relation to music? Well, hard times create hard music. More impoverished areas in both the United States and Mexico have become the birthplace of Rap and Narcocorridos; a narration of their daily struggles and the history of their situations. Although expressed in mostly vulgar and informal speech, listening to this music is necessary for understanding their situation. Especially when inter-governmental societies/ communities are so divided to begin with.

Economic

To understand the relationship between a society and its music, we have to grasp its economic culture. And this goes hand-in-hand with the political aspect of a society.

The economic culture in any given society simply refers to how people make money. And in the case of Narcocorridos, this plays a huge role. In an interview done by NPR, with cartel-based subjects, one of the interviewees - a boy at the age of 18 - states that “‘You go with the guys who have the most power, money, connections, and influence,’” (Mexican Drug Cartels Recruiting Young Men, Boys, NPR). Furthermore, Narcocorrido songs target the younger generation; stunting their “power, money, connections, and influence,” (Mexican Drug Cartels Recruiting Young Men, Boys, NPR), only further encouraging these young men to take up recruitment into a cartel.

This phenomenon can also be seen across the world in Sierra Leone where the Revolutionary United Front rebel group used “reggae, coupled with pan-Africanist, Marxist, liberal, and other revolutionary writings, [were] a prominent music genre among marginalized youth and students protesting against deplorable socioeconomic conditions created by the corrupt ruling government during the late 1970s. Music was an integral part of creative youth initiatives challenging hegemonic structures, and reggae, in particular, fuelled the mobilization of students to engage in university politics and public protest.” (“We Listened to it Because of the Message”: Juvenile RUF Combatants and the Role of Music in the Sierra Leone Civil War, University of Michigan).

Every society and/ or culture has its struggles. Some being so different from others, it is difficult to make any connection. Viewing a society's relationship with its music not only allows us to make associations between different societies’ political and economic cultures, but is even easier to see when examining a population’s social ground.

Social

The social aspect of a society can directly be defined as how people interact with each other. Though varying populations will have numerous differences, societies can have differences within themselves as well. This is especially evident when viewing Mexico’s relationship with Narcocorridos.

There are aspects within cultures that those who take up the population disagree upon. This can be seen with book bans in the United States, political art in China, and Narcocorridos in Mexico. Art can be used as a mean of communication with the public; highlighting social issues, concerns, and, in terms of Corridos, as a vent.

If you look at venting in terms of an individual, the details can be grim, personal, and difficult to articulate. Similar entities can be found in music, which is really just an artist venting his or her thoughts to the public. But some aren’t so accepting of the publication of these stories. This is quite evident when looking at the relationship between Narcocorridos and public officials in Mexico: “Northwest Chihuahua state has banned live performances of narcocorridos or the playing of such songs on the radio.” (Mexico’s Narcocorridos: A Case of Misunderstanding? By Parker Asmann).

Laws and restrictions against art are not special to Mexico’s relationship with Narcocorrios. As stated previously, this can be seen in every culture, against many different forms of expression. Trying to suppress forms of art/ expression is dangerous in terms of unity within a society and only causes hysteria rather than compromisation.

Idealistic

The butting of heads found in the social aspect of society is birthed in idealistic roots. Ideals vary dramatically when comparing two different societies as a whole but can also be present when studying a solo population.

In terms of Mexico, the ideals of the rich and poor, religious and atheist, or Mariachi and Narcocorrido fans are very different; even the ideals within these communities can differ. These differences are what separate them. This can be seen in every single society ever known to humankind.

For example, let's take a look at how HipHop music is viewed in the United States: like Narcocorridos, the subjects covered in HipHop songs unusually glamorize a life of death, drugs, sex, money, violence, etc. Those who understand the music, have easily fallen in love with it; but those who don’t, not only hate it, but express their hatred towards it (from my experience). I believe this expression of hatred comes from a lack of curiosity and denial. Much like the same treatment Narcocorridos gets in Mexico.

Rap music and Narcocorridos highlight the pieces of culture a society is trying to suppress and/ or forget. People are encouraged to hate the music to live by societal standards; rather than “Listen to the lyrics to learn about Americans’ lived experiences instead of writing it off as a violent, inappropriate creation. Rap shares the voices of millions of black people in America. It is a genuine form of expression that holds painful truths that our society continually tries to avoid.” (Culture Shock: Rap music’s reputation hides its positive impact). As seen in the quotation above, each time America/ American is said, it can be substituted with Mexico/ Mexican; each time rap is said, it can be replaced with Narcocorrido; and when relating race to the issue in America, poverty is the case in Mexico. Either option holds true.

It is fascinating to me that we are expected to get along with strangers, when we can’t even get along with ourselves (I’m saying this in means of society). How can there be world peace when there isn’t unity in the neighborhoods we call home? By making connections as seen above, it’s easier to see that the human experience isn’t so different for all of us; no matter where you’re from.

Artistic

Though we all hold similarities as we experience life, our ideas may differ from house to house, culture to culture, and society to society. This difference is most exposed in forms of art. And is best seen through a musical lens: Country compared to Rap or Mariachi compared to Narcocorridos.

A common trend of societal oppression attempts to suffocate the art which does not align with the image a society is trying to project. Sadly, art forms like Narcocorridos are damaged in this process. Rather than viewing these pieces of expression as a form of communication, they are labeled as poison.

Conclusion

My reason for continuously bringing up different societies in relation to Mexico and their Narcocorridos is to draw connections in means of the human experience. These aspects of society are not special to one place or society; commonalities can be found connecting any two societies no matter their history, traditions, or beliefs.

I spent 9 months in Mexico, going to school; and saw many similarities to the United States (my home). Just like the US tries to act like they are better than Mexico, Mexico tries to act like certain populations within the country are better than others. However, my realization abroad focused on how similar the human experience is no matter where you are from.

Just like we try to forget shameful parts of our individual pasts, our societies try to forget the same. Rather than sitting through the hard times, learning from them, and growing because of them; an easier option is to disregard. But by doing this, we are prohibiting progression in ourselves and our societies. Listen to the music of life, don’t judge it.

El Hijo Mayor - Junior H

Works Cited:

Income in Mexico and evolution of poverty: Notes on the new ENIGH 2016. (n.d.). https://www.bbvaresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/170906_ENIGH_2016.pdf

Advantages and disadvantages of federalism - opened CUNY. (n.d.-a). https://opened.cuny.edu/courseware/lesson/224/student/?section=4

Digital Commons @ CSUMB. Site. (n.d.). https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/

Burnett, J. (2009, March 24). Mexican drug cartels recruiting young men, boys. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2009/03/24/102249839/mexican-drug-cartels-recruiting-young-men-boys

Nuxoll, C. (2015, February 18). “we listened to it because of the message”: Juvenile Ruf combatants and the role of music in the Sierra Leone Civil War. Music and Politics. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/mp/9460447.0009.104/--we-listened-to-it-because-of-the-message-juvenile-ruf?rgn=main%3Bview

Asmann, P. (2019, April 24). Mexico’s Narcocorridos: A case of misunderstanding? InSight Crime. https://insightcrime.org/news/analysis/mexicos-narcocorridos-case-of-misunderstanding/

Edmonds, C., & Edmonds, A. C. (2020, February 19). Culture shock: Rap music’s reputation hides its positive impact. The Daily Free Press. https://dailyfreepress.com/2020/02/19/culture-shock-rap-musics-reputation-hides-its-positive-impact/