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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Thomas Graham in Mexico City

On mute: Tijuana passes law banning ballads praising Mexican drug trade

Peso Pluma has produced some of the most notorious recent examples of narcocorridos.
Peso Pluma has produced some of the most notorious recent examples of narcocorridos. Photograph: Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Amazon Music

A typical song by Peso Pluma, one of Mexico’s most popular singers, might start with a guitar and a trumpet, sounding like something for the older crowd – but then come the lyrics telling of drug shipments, stacks of cash and diamond-encrusted pistols.

Peso Pluma has produced some of the most notorious recent examples of narcocorridos – ballads celebrating the exploits of the Mexican underworld that are hugely popular not just at home but across Latin America and the US.

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