Fans riot after leading regional musician refuses to play narco ballads, yielding to pressure at home and abroad

When fashionable determination instrumentalist Luis R. Conriquez declined to his deed narcocorridos (drug ballads) astatine his April 11 performance successful Texcoco, México state, the assemblage began to riot, trashing the signifier and warring with security.

Conriquez, who specializes successful corridos bélicos (songs whose lyrics are chiefly focused connected cause trafficking and the ongoing cartel turf battles) and different Sinaloa-style genres, told the assemblage helium was adhering to the state’s regulations against specified narcocorridos.

🚨 No cantó corridos y le destrozaron su equipo de audio e instrumentos. Así le tocó anoche a Luis R. Conriquez, en la Feria del Caballo.

Desde antes lo había anunciado en sus historias: “Entramos a una nueva etapa, mi gente: nos sumamos a la causa de cero corridos”. pic.twitter.com/8ybwoGPBoy

— Pamela Cerdeira (@PamCerdeira) April 12, 2025

The riot successful Texcoco occurred conscionable 2 weeks aft the determination set Los Alegres del Barranco caused a disturbance by performing a corrido that pays homage to a cause lord. That prompted President Claudia Sheinbaum and different authorization figures to condemn songs that advocator unit and glorify crime.

In airy of the incident, the United States canceled the visas of Los Alegres, and has threatened to bash the aforesaid for different groups that execute narcocorridos. The menace takes purpose astatine the livelihoods of planetary stars similar Peso Pluma and others, who often marque overmuch of their net successful the U.S. market.

Conriquez, whose songs regularly illustration connected Billboard’s Hot Latin database successful the U.S., whitethorn beryllium keeping an oculus connected his bottommost enactment arsenic well: The adjacent stops connected his existent circuit see New York, Pennsylvania and Arkansas.

In Mexico several states, México authorities among them, responded by issuing oregon enforcing regulations and decrees prohibiting the show of corridos bélicos successful nationalist events.

México Governor Delfina Gómez issued a prohibition connected songs glorifying violence, specifically informing the authorities successful the cities of Texcoco, Metepec and Tejupilco wherever concerts were scheduled. The decree hinted astatine hefty fines for performers, producers and promoters.

According to Conriquez and his manager Freddy Pérez, those successful attendance were not informed successful beforehand of the restrictions to the performer’s opus list. When the creator explained that helium was simply obeying the protocols established by section and authorities authorities, the assemblage booed.

Some assemblage members past became aggressive, hurling objects astatine the set connected the signifier located successful the mediate of the arena. Shortly thereafter, the musicians fled the signifier and rioters began destroying the instruments and instrumentality abandoned by the performers.

“We feared for our lives,” Pérez said successful a nationalist apology issued the pursuing day, “and we near the arena without immoderate security.”

The circular layout of the venue, with the signifier successful the center, added to the hazard faced by Conriquez during the disturbance. Other acts performed determination implicit the play with nary trouble. (Diego Sánchez/Cuartoscuro.com)

Conriquez besides issued a statement, saying that “this is simply a caller era, my friends. It feels atrocious not being capable to execute the songs that the nationalist wishes to hear, but we enactment the ‘no corrido’ argumentation and privation to determination forward.”

On Sunday, Sheinbaum condemned the unit but sought to marque wide that contempt regulations imposed in immoderate states, she is not successful favour of prohibiting narcocorridos.

“We are not looking to regulate narcocorridos, nor are we successful favour of censorship,” she said. “We simply would similar to beforehand alternate philharmonic contented done an acquisition process to which we tin each contribute.”

Sheinbaum besides emphasized that she opposes the glorification of unit successful fashionable culture.

The México authorities authorities declared that it volition proceed to enforce the “no narcocorridos” policy, insisting that authorities volition complaint those who interruption the decree with glorifying violence.

With reports from Infobae, El Financiero and El Gráfico