A Mexican Military Member Is Fighting Back Against Narcocorridos With His Own Music – And It’s Going Viral
Narcocorridos have been in the center of conversations about regional Mexican music. The open secret of some musicians and promoters working with cartels was exposed in a major way with the case against Gerardo Ortiz. While the musical subgenre has grown in popularity, one member of the Mexican military is trying to combat that sentiment using corridos to tell the positives of being in the military. Eduardo Barrón, who sings under the name Eddy Barrón, is taking a stand and using music to bring positivity to the world.
Eddy Barrón is trying to change corridos for the better
Barrón’s singing career is thanks to his service with the military. In an attempt to take back the genre, Barrón, along with the Mexican military, started to put out songs and music videos last year. The most popular song out right now is “Volvería A Ser Militar.” The song is a corrido that dives deep into Barrón’s love for the military and serving his country.
The lyrics evoke an emotional response of people who have served. Not only did he love the duty, he looks back and realizes that he would do it all over again.
The song is meant to inspire the youths, currently lost in the subgenre of narcocorridos, to embrace better aspirations. The ballads Barrón is producing are part of a larger governmental push to tamp down narcocorridos.
“Narco life is in style and they make it sound really pretty … but the reality is different,” Barrón told NBC News. “We’re playing our part to invite young people to join this movement of positive music.”
The Mexican government hopes to keep pushing against the glorification of narcos through music
“A Los Caidos” is another song Barrón has turned into a music video. This time, he is giving attention and uplifting those who have fallen in the line of duty. Barrón currently has more than 1,000 followers on YouTube, very small compared to the reach of narcocorridos. However, experts are intrigued by the use of corridos to counter the narco narrative.
“I don’t think using corridos as a way to incorporate other kinds of narratives, is a bad idea,” José Manuel Valenzuela, a Tijuana sociologist, told NBC News. “There are a lot of songs that sing of peace and love. It’s just that those aren’t the ones that are turning out to be hits … because we’re living in a moment of aggrieved youth.”
Corridos have a long history in Mexican culture
Corridos can be traced back to the War of Independence in 1810 and continued to grow in popularity through the Mexican Revolution. At the time, they were used to tell the stories of the heroes and struggles of the revolution. The ballads served primarily as an oral history to tell the tales of fighting for freedom in Mexico.
Over the years, the genre of music has endured. It has been used to continue to tell stories and to uplift parts of Mexican culture. As the times have changed, the topics of popular corridos have also changed. Narcocorridos are the latest trend in the musical genre. The growing popularity of narcocorridos has spurred federal and local government responses.
Local governments have started to restrict the performance of narcocorridos. Others have outright banned the performance or broadcast the songs. The Mexican government has not implemented a nationwide ban but more municipalities are joining the effort to freeze out the subgenre.
