Mexican states ban narcocorrido music to avoid real drug trade issues, says musician
In Feb. 2016, a deadly fight broke out at an Enigma Norteno concert in the Mexican town of Elota, Sinaloa. The fight turned into a gun fight that left five people dead. The governor of that state has now suspended all public concerts featuring that type of music called narcocorrido.
A narcocorrido is a song that brings together the tradition of Mexican folk songs and lyrics about drug lords. And there are now three states in Mexico that have banned them from being played at outdoor venues.
Musician Elijah Wald says narcocorrido is "... like tributes. Like court poets for the drug lords."
Wald says the ban on narcocorrido music in Mexico is a great diversion that allows politicians to avoid the real issue of the drug sales.
Elijah Wald, is also a historian and the author of Narcocorrido: A Journey into the Music of Drugs, Guns, and Guerrillas. He joined The Current's Anna Maria Tremonti to tell us more about what the norcocorrido ban means to musicians and the drug trade in Mexico.
This segment was produced by The Current's Ines Colabrese.