Covering Up The Sun With a Finger: Banning Narcocorridos to Heal a Country at War
State governments bet on a strategy that will probably only anger the population.
If you follow news in Mexico, you've probably seen or read about Los Alegres del Barranco or, more recently, Luis R. Conriquez. Both of them are performers in the “regional Mexicano” genre. And both recently got into trouble over the issue of narcocorridos.
Los Alegres del Barranco were the first to draw criticism. It all started during a concert at the Telmex Auditorium of the University of Guadalajara on March 29. While performing the song “El del Palenque,” the group projected an image of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, a.k.a. El Mencho, leader of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, whom the song references.
Criticism and accusations of promoting organized crime quickly followed, since the song references elements of the CJNG, such as armed commandos. There were also legal and financial repercussions for the group, several of their shows were canceled, and even their visas to work in and visit the United States were revoked, essentially ensuring that the group will not perform again in the neighboring country.
Legal cases have also been opened against the group, and they already missed a scheduled hearing in which they were supposed to testify before the Jalisco State Attorney General’s Office. In response, the State Prosecutor said that the investigation against the group will continue in order to determine whether they were promoting criminal activity.
It seems things keep getting worse for the group, but the controversy has helped them too. All of Mexico and many in the U.S. now know who they are, and plays of “El Del Palenque” on streaming platforms have increased by 232% globally on LyricFind, and by 46% in the U.S., according to media outlet Luminate.
As the saying goes, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
Another artist who has entered the same conversation is singer Luis R. Conriquez, who, after seeing the consequences faced by Los Alegres del Barranco, opted to prioritize safety.
It all started for Conriquez at the Tejupilco Regional Expo Fair, where he performed on April 10 and refused to sing narcocorridos, which wasn’t well received—but didn’t escalate.
The following day, he performed at the Texcoco 2025 International Horse Fair, where he again refrained from singing narcocorridos, since performers who do so face sanctions. This definitely upset his audience—they booed, shouted, threw beer, and even destroyed the stage, costing the singer up to 4 million pesos in damages.
On Wednesday, April 16, the Metepec city hall announced that it would cancel Conriquez’s performance after the government made a request to the event's organizing company to prevent any incidents, likely as an effort to avoid a repeat of the Texcoco situation.
Conriquez later appeared on Ciro Gómez Leyva’s show, expressing regret over what had happened and asking President Claudia Sheinbaum to “let us sing,” even though the president has spoken out against censorship, stating a preference for promoting other types of music rather than banning those considered “bad.”
Interestingly, during the same interview, Conriquez spoke about the “end” of narcocorridos, suggesting that this genre is on its way out and won’t be heard much longer.
But all the evidence points to the contrary, whether it's the numbers showing Los Alegres del Barranco's post-controversy success, or the intensity with which fans demand narcocorridos at Conriquez's concerts. What’s clear is that narcocorridos sell, and when they’re made controversial or taboo, they sell even more.
Artists like N.W.A., Eminem, and Kanye West have thrived off controversy, using bans or negative publicity to boost their sales to astronomical levels. And it’s probably only a matter of time before narcocorrido artists realize the same thing and start pushing the limits of what’s “acceptable.”
This is without even mentioning the measures taken by state governments, like those in Michoacán and Aguascalientes, which have already banned narcocorridos from state fairs. These actions are meant to “combat narco culture,” which is an admirable goal, but banning music only makes it more appealing, especially to children and teenagers, the most vulnerable group when it comes to falling into organized crime.
Studies have even shown that banning music with violent lyrics often makes the situation worse, not only does it victimize the communities who listen to it, but it also removes an emotional outlet and fails to reduce crime, as it doesn’t address the material conditions that drive people to criminality, such as lack of job opportunities, education, or public activities.
These government measures could be seen, at best, as innocent but well-intentioned attempts to fight drug culture on a cultural level. But at worst, they could be seen as distractions from a government that prefers to cover up the sun with a finger rather than confront the real problem.