Folklore Music, Violence, and Narco-Culture: Assessing Popular Corridos' Role in Normalizing Violence in Mexico.

• In Event: Exploring the Intersection of Music and Violence

Abstract

Traditional forms of Mexican narrative ballads or folksong, often known as corridos, recount the story of historical events, social struggles, and cultural identity. Originally used to narrate tales of revolutionary figures and heroes, corridos have evolved into various subgenres, one of the most controversial being narcocorridos. Narcocorridos tell stories about drug trafficking, violence, power, objectification of women, and the glorification of organized crime. As this subgenre has gained popularity, it has also sparked controversy due to its potential role in the normalization of narco-culture due to their references to cartels, assassinations, law enforcement confrontations, and illegal operations. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact narcocorridos have on popular culture in Mexico. To do so, we examine streaming data from platforms - such as Spotify and YouTube - over the past decade, analyzing trends in narcocorrido popularity over the past decade. We hypothesize that the increasing popularity of narcocorridos has contributed to the normalization of narco-culture in Mexico. In this presentation, we will discuss the findings and implications of our research.

Authors

• Robee Ruiz, Texas State University

• Lidia Nuño, Texas State University