It didn’t take long for Mexican narcocorrido bands to start singing about El Chapo’s prison break
“I already proved my power once… and if I did it once, I’ll do it to them again.”
That’s a lyric from what appears to be the first narcocorrido to surface about drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s weekend escape from a Mexican high-security prison. A sample of the song, by the Mexican band Enigma Norteño, is circulating on Instagram and YouTube, the latest addition to the musical genre detailing the exploits of drug traffickers.
“There will be Chapo for awhile and the link remains strong,” the band sings, alluding to Mexico’s public enemy No. 1.
Members of Enigma Norteño say the song isn’t intended to glorify El Chapo, but instead to chronicle the latest developments in Mexico’s drug world. “It doesn’t mean we benefit from or agree with the escape, our business has nothing to do with his,” the band told the Mexican daily El Debate.Chapo’s escape has largely been met with outrage among Mexicans. Still, his feat is beginning to provide fodder for musicians. At least one other narcocorrido from a little-known band has also popped up on YouTube openly praising him.
“He managed to escape again, those miserable prison bars, since his talent is so big,” the group sings. The band continues describing how Chapo is beloved in his home state of Sinaloa, the base of his powerful drug cartel.
So far, the reaction in Sinaloa has mostly been muted.Last year, when Chapo was arrested, some Sinaloans organized Chapo marchas or Chapo marches, calling for his release. Protesters wore T-shirts that read “We want Chapo free.” Sinaloa Governor Mario Lopez Valdez told Mexico’s Televisa network at the time that people had been paid to attend the march, and alleged it was organized by people close to Chapo and his family members.
Over the last few decades, narcocorridos have become a popular music genre in Mexico, with even iconic Mexican bands like Los Tigres del Norte getting their start singing about the escapades of narcos.
The genre has grown so much that some state and municipal governments have attempted to ban the music, claiming it glorifies and promotes criminality. Sometimes narcos themselves have been known to commission songs. Now the tale of Chapo’s second prison break seems to be providing the perfect material for any band looking to produce a one-hit wonder.