The Balladeers of Mexico’s Drug Wars

1 minute read
El Komander Alfredo "El Komander" Rios walks down a street in Burbank, Calif., near the office of his agent and producer, Twiins Enterprises. One of the hottest narcocorrido talents in the industry, El Komander regularly performs at private parties for Sinaloa's cartel members and composes songs for and about themShaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
By Shaul Schwarz

TIME sent photographer-filmmaker Shaul Schwarz to Los Angeles and to the Mexican border for three weeks to investigate the underworld of narco-culture and the explosive influence that the drug wars are having on music, film, television and fashion. He shows how the wars are paving the way for Latin gangsta rap.

See the story by Tim McGirk for TIME.

See TIME’s video “Narcocorridos: Singing Songs of Drug Violence”:

Performance Andres "El Macizo" Márquez, 22, performs at El Rodeo Night Club in Pico Rivera, Calif. The fast-paced narcocorridos that he plays celebrate the lives and crimes of Mexican drug lords Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
In the Crowd The surging popularity of narcocorridos has led to the proliferation of clubs all over Los Angeles and the western United StatesShaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
On the Dance Floor The clubs specializing in narcocorridos attract many Mexican Americans in search of an identity that connects them to their heritage across the border Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
Security At the El Rodeo Night Club, heavy drinking is prevalent and fights tend to break out Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
Crossing Over A crowd waits outside Seattle's Arizona Cafe before the performance of El Kommander Alfredo Rios, a narco-artist from Culiacán, Mexico Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
Not Your Father's Polka The ballads have deep roots: Mexicans have been singing about drug runners since the 1930s. But the new narcocorridos are more gruesome than ever, and they portray drug lords as hard-partying, daredevil Robin Hoods fighting a corrupt system Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
The Show A crowd of narcocorrido fans gather at Rancho Farallon during the launch event of Movimiento Alterado, a new form of the genre that is gaining in popularity Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
Swingin' and Grindin' Dozens of narcocorrido artists routinely tour the U.S. Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
Rough Ridin' Couples dance at the Rancho Farallon event. "Hey, this isn't our mom and dad's music," says Elijah Wald, a songwriter and expert on the narcocorrido. "It's as tough as gangta rap, and it's Mexican. It's who we are" Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
More than Music Like gangsta rap, the narcocorrido has spawned its own fashion sense, with cowboy shirts or T-shirts emblazoned with golden eagles, AK-47s and heavy gold chains. They may also show an amulet with a doleful Jesus Malverde, a popular bandit from the 1900s turned patron saint of drug dealers Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
Backstage Members of the band Buknas de Culiacán get ready to perform at Rancho Farallon Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
Preparation Many of the bands employ a tuba player, along with musicians for the accordion, drums and guitarShaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
Art Imitates Life The popularity of narcocorridos has led to a spate of films with narco-themes. Here, actors in Tijuana prepare for a scene in Las Aguilas Andan Solas (Eagles Fly Alone)Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
On Set According to Baja Films International director and producer Oscar Lopez, tens of thousands of DVDs of gory Tijuana-made direct-to-video movies are sold, many of them with scripts based on the latest narcocorrido hits Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
Not Dead Yet "Our audience is the illegal immigrant, the second-generation Mexican American who wants to rediscover his roots," says Lopez. "This is real for them in a way that Batman isn't"Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
Big Hits Actors wait during the filming of Las Aguilas Andan Solas Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
The Beat and the Bling "It's become more than music," says Adolfo Valenzuela, a narcorrido producer and manager. "It's a lifestyle"Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
Gangsta Grind Baja Films, the production company behind Las Aguilas Andan Solas, is one of the larger players in the narco-film industry Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
The Big Bang Narco-films have found an audience in both Mexico and the U.S. Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME
El Komander Alfredo "El Komander" Rios walks down a street in Burbank, Calif., near the office of his agent and producer, Twiins Enterprises. One of the hottest narcocorrido talents in the industry, El Komander regularly performs at private parties for Sinaloa's cartel members and composes songs for and about them Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIME

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