- Authorities in Mexico are offering state protection to renowned regional Mexican singer Natanel Cano and other artists after they were publicly threatened by a drug cartel in northern Mexico, prosecutors said.
- A social media post that appeared to be from “Jalisco Matasalas”, a group within the Sinaloa Cartel, accused the singers of “financially helping” a rival gang called the “Salazares”.
- Cano is a corridos singer. Corridos and other traditional Mexican styles are experiencing a resurgence in popularity.
Authorities in Mexico are offering state protection to renowned regional Mexican singer Natanel Cano and other artists after they were publicly threatened by a drug cartel in northern Mexico, prosecutors confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Images of banners threatening the lives of Cano, singer of corridos, a musical genre often associated with drug cartel violence, and several other artists in the Sonora region circulated on social media over the weekend.
The banner appears to be signed by “Jalisco Matasalas”, a group within a faction of the Sinaloa cartel known as the “Chapitos”, which has carried out bloody attacks in northern Mexico in recent months. Terror was spread in the power struggle. The gang accused the singers of “financially helping” a rival gang called the “Salazares”.
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The banner read, “This is the last time you’ll get a warning, it’s time for you to stop talking nonsense. Mind your own business.” “If you don’t heed this warning, you will be shot.”
The Sonoran prosecutor’s office told the AP on Tuesday that the threatening message was found hanging in a school and that they have launched an investigation.
Alan de la Rosa, a spokesman for prosecutors, said authorities offered the artists state protection “to prevent any aggression related to the direct threat displayed on the banner.” He did not elaborate on the nature of the security.
Mexican singer Natanael Cano performs at the Hey Music Festival in Mexico City on September 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)
Cano’s communications team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Corridos, composed of ballads from northern Mexico, are a musical genre that has long been associated with drug violence, but they also reflect the harsh realities that many Mexicans face under narco violence. This genre, along with Mexican regional music, is experiencing a resurgence by young artists such as Cano and Paso Pluma, mixing classic styles with other genres such as trap music.
Over the past five years, streaming of Mexican music on Spotify has grown 400% and in 2023 Mexican artist Peso Pluma overtook Taylor Swift as the most streamed artist on YouTube.
Such artists have long faced sharp criticism from authorities and threats from drug gangs.
In 2023, Peso Pluma – who paid tribute to drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán in songs – was forced to cancel a show in Tijuana after receiving threats from a rival of the 25-year-old Sinaloa cartel, warning that That “this will be your last performance if he goes ahead with the concert”.
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Later, Tijuana banned the performance of narco ballads altogether to protect the “eyes and ears” of youth as it tries to prevent violence. Local authorities in northern states previously banned musicians from singing narcocorridos.
The threat against Cano comes after an increase in violence in Sinaloa and other northern Mexican states,
The threats against Cano come after increased violence in Sinaloa and other northern Mexican states due to the kidnapping and capture of narco boss Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the subsequent all-out war between rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel. Cano was reportedly threatened.
