LC524 KA DRUG CARTELS & THE NARCOTIC
             A view of the Mexican trafficker counterculture
             Angel A. Fierros Farell (ID 1017664)
             Before analyzing the phenomena of the narcocorrido we must first study what is a "corrido". Musically, a corrido is similar to the musica ranchera (Mexican country music) it has verses, remates and tag endings. Typically the corrido tells a story and identifies who, where, when, and why in the verses. The corrido was created during the Mexican revolution to preserve the historical and mythical exploits of the period.
             So, the narcocorrido was created to tell, boast or communicate the history of a narcotic trafficker, an organization or simply "what is like to be a narcotraficante (drug dealer)". Narcocorridos have become the pop music for much of Northwest Mexico. The genre has been a major part of Mexican folk music for at least a century and now the narcocorrido has become a pervasive part of the "narcoculture" in places like Culiacan, capital of the state of Sinaloa.
             Most corridos tell of historic events -- narcocorridos recount the exploits of drug smugglers, often from the smuggler's point of view. Most include an execution or a shootout between traffickers and the police or other bloody events -- all set to a polka beat and the obliviously cheerful norteño accordion line.
             It is possible to see some parallel in gangster rap in the United States -- including Mexico's own Tupac Shakur called Chalino Sanchez, the most famous of the narcocorrido singers, was taken from his car after a show here in 1992. His body was found the next morning, with a bullet to the head. The case remains unsolved.
             Today, more than five years later, a number of narcocorrido singers still imitate his raspy tenor. One even calls himself "El Chalinillo" (Little Chalino).
             Also like gangster rap is the fact that most narcocorridos are never heard on the radio because stations around Mexico have...