Songs of Praise: Gangsters Across Latin America Turn to Narco-Corridos
ARGENTINA
/19 NOV 2021 BY MARK WILSON
Initially, the purview of Mexican drug cartels, songs that soothe the egos of powerful criminals or cast them as defenders of the common man are swiftly becoming a region-wide phenomenon.
Most recently, a Haitian gang leader published a musical attack on what he frames as government failures to provide for the people of Haiti.
Controversies such as these are common in Mexico, which has a long tradition of what are colloquially dubbed "narcocorridos." In other parts of Latin America, songs celebrating drug traffickers have historically been less common. That is beginning to change as examples emerge across the region.
Here, InSight Crime looks at four noteworthy productions:
Haiti Gangster Raps State on the Knuckles
In late October, Haitian gangster, alias "Izo 5 Segond," released a rap song criticizing the state authorities, with the chorus, "If you see we don't have good hospitals, it's their fault/ If schools can't function, it's their fault."
More:
https://insightcrime.org/news/songs-praise-how-pro-gang-music-became-regional-phenomenon/