GABRIEL NAJAR I cuervo de chivo (goat horn) I

by Gabriel Najar

"La suerte cuando se cambia / Se convierte en enemigo / Y un veintidos de noviembre / Lo mato un cuerno de chivo/ La cabezaya la debe/Lagavilla delpadrino." "Cuerno de Chivo" by Los Huracanes del Norte *

Narcocorrido, or drug ballad, is a subgenre evolved from the norteho genre of Mexican music that has a similar sound to polka music because of the accordion base. What distinguishes this style of music from other norteho songs is the lyrical content. These "drug ballads" sing the romantic tales of drug smuggling, violence, and revenge. Countless narcocorridos include the word cuerno de chivo, which is Mexican slang for an AK-47. Nothing epitomizes romantic notions of outlaws and disorder like the Kalashnikov. Although the music is danceable with cheerful accordion and brass sounds, the idea about dancing to a song about the death of a drug smuggler or a cop in an ambush seems sinister. It seems the best way to get one's mind off the subject of death, while dancing to a song is to have a beer in one hand and a chica in the other

It's Thursday evening, and I'm in my room

SoX8 ry,.rtC 8 S°me telCTista>- Summer in outhern California means anyone without an air contaioner keeps their windows open to let the cool sea .t's ThurT th? ™om - % ™dows are shut because

L r t l 7 h / ZrTl n ' m \'hecnight I e" ta 6 L°S my d3d and out suburb of "mall-time Inglewood smce I was born. Although he's a landscapes by prrfes on, his passion ,s his music. My dad's bands went bv "enTa^H jf"™ *'

and Thursday°night honi T-00 " 73 Tgrnto 7 r°°m " ^ ,ime and muffled sounds dangerous backgrounds. Eventually gangster rap spilled into the suburbs, while narcocorridos remained p0pU m 1116 rural and Poorer areas of Mexico. Also mL narco artists like Rosalino "Chalino" Sanchez began their careers selling their bootleg demos themselves, much like an up-and-coming emcee might be seen slanging his mixtape on a busy street. Although gangster rap was popular among the American youth culture of the 90s, narcocorridos still remain popular by people of all ages.

Now *>m back to set the record straight / with my A-K / I'm still the thug that you love to hate / Motherfucker, I'll hit'em up"

"Hit'Em Up" by Tupac

Norteho music, especially narcocorridos, is popular in the Mexican immigrant communities of the U.S. In fact, some of the most popular norteno groups and artists began their careers in their new nation. Rosalino "Chalino" Sanchez began singing in the Coachella Valley in Southern California, Sergio Vega began his career in Arizona, and Los Tigres del Norte formed in San Jose, California.

Growing up in the Los Angeles area meant I was exposed to various genres of music. At home when my parents had total control of the music choices on car trips and at home, I would listen to nortenos, and Mexican pop ballads. At school, my peers would listen to more contemporary and American genres of music. Going to school in the 90s, alternative rock, boy band pop, and gangster rap were the norm. My parents would listen to artists like Los Tigres del Norte, Juan Gabriel, and Marco Antonio Solis. In the schoolyard, my peers would listen to Blink 182, Britney Spears, N'Sync, The Backstreet Boys, Tupac, and Snoop Dogg.

of die themes wealffl, and anists co^^^ On December 11, 2006, newly elected President Felipe Calderon of Mexico launched Operation Michoacan. This military operation sent 6,500 federal troops to the state of Michoacan to battle drug cartels and is considered the starting point of the Mexican War on Drugs. Nearly 60,000 people have died as a result of the Mexican drug war. Over a dozen of those deaths include narco musicians.

On September 16, 2005, narco musician Valentin Elizalde performed in front of 3,000 convicts at the

p jente Grande prison in the central state of Jalisco for son Amphitheater in Los Angeles. His face is depicted in a

Mexican Independence Day celebration. Elizalde has mural in Pico Rivera, a city known for its love of norterio roured in both the Mexico and the United States, and music with its famous rodeo and Mexican nightclubs, has recorded albums for major music company Univer,! Music. According to local reports, the convicts sang On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur and Suge jono to the song "Clave Privada" (Secret Code), a song Knight and their entourage exited the MGM Grand Casino celebrating Sinaloa Cartel Drug Lord Joaqin "Chapo" in Las Vegas after a Mike Tyson fight. Knight and his entouGuzman. Guzman had escaped from a neighboring rage, members of the Bloods gang, encountered members Prison in 2001 and remains an international fugitive. of the rival Crips gang exiting the venue. The two groups * engaged in a brawl, including Shakur. The whole fight was In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur signed with caught under surveillance. After the brawl, Shakur left with Death Row Records after his release from jail on Knight in his black BMW. After a brief stop by Las Vegas smal abuse charges. Death Row was founded by police, the two men stopped at a red light. After a brief Marion "Suge" Knight, a record producer with ties exchange with some nearby female drivers, a car pulled up to the Bloods gang. At the height of the East Coast- and fired shots at the black BMW. Shakur was shot multiple West Coast Rap Feud, Tupac would release his crit- times. The rapper was taken to University Hospital Center, ically-acclaimed album "All Eyez on Me," with hits where he stayed in the critical care unit. On September like "California Love" and "How Do U Want It." 13, Shakur died of internal building. He was 25 years old.

Over 24,000 people were killed due to drugvio- "Conmigo no andan jugando / Pa'que se arrieslence in 2011, making it the bloodiest year of the Mexican gan la vida / Traigo una super fatada / Y los traigo ya en la government's ongoing violent campaign against cartels. mira'.' * "A Mis Enemigo" by Valentin Elizalde December 2007 proved to be the deadliest month for Mexican artists. On December 1 in Mat- Whenever my father goes off to a gig, he always amoros, Tamaulipas, Zayda Pena was shot in the chest invites my friends and I to go. He always said there will point blank by assailants, while she was in the hospital be girls, dancing, and booze. Even though the offer seems recovering from an earlier murder attempt. She had tempting, the whole norteno music scene isn't my thing, no personal or lyrical connections to drug cartels. The next day in Morelia, Michoacan, members of the Chi- On November 25, 2006, Elizalde ecame e cago-based group K-Paz de la Sierra were kidnapped first big narco artist to fall to cartel violence. After leaving a in the early hours of the morning from their car. The concert in the border city of Reynosa, a Gulf Cartel strongfirst big raids of the Mexican drug war began in Mi- hold, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, Elizalde's vehicle choacan. While the other passengers were let go later was gunned down by members of Los Zetas, who were at in the day, vocalist Sergio Gomez's tortured body was the time the armed wing of the Gulf cartel. The narco artist discovered in the outskirts of the city the next day. A became a target because of the perceived ins t omoneo few days later, trumpeter Jose Luis Aquino of the group Elizalde's songs called A Mis Enemigos (To My Enemies , Los Conde was found dead with his limbs bound and and his praising of rival drug cartel the Sina oa arte . a bag over his head in the southern state of Oaxaca. * The Forever 27 Club refers to popular musicians "Pongan cuidado senores / Andan buscando la who have died at the age of 27. Some famous members inmuerte/El miedo no lo conosco / Para eso no tuve suerte / elude: Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, jams JoSoy cerca de Culiacdn / Tierra de puros valientes" plin, Brian Jones, Amy Winehouse, and Valentin b iza e. "Clave Privada" by Valentin Elizalde . _ , * During the bloody month of December EverySaturdayafternoonbeforeagig,members 2007, Elizande and Gomez were nominated posthu of my dad's band come over to pick up the equipment: the mously for Grammy Awards. Neither won a rammy drum kit, the mic stands, the drum kit, the wires, and the , . speakers. My dad always asks for me to help. Mijo, ayuda In March 2012, my da an is an a r* a tu papa. I help him lift the large speakers to the back of Norte performed at the Hollywoo ar .asino, a o the grey Toyota Tundra. In the backseat I spy the evening's venue that attracts decent artists an cover an so outfits—a white cowboy hat, a black button up shirt, and ger artists. His band performe a ongsi e o er no a hideous red blazer with grey pinstripes. The red blazer groups at a Mexican music night. I was away at co eg has tribal signs running down the left arm and down the He didn't give me a call. I foun out a out it on e 8 right lapel. The band's logo is on the heart of the blazer. Facebook page. They wore those gau y re jac *

In November 2006, Elizalde was awarded "Soloist of the year" at Los Premios de la Radio at the Gib-