By Reynaldo Mena
Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, better known as Peso Pluma continues to sweep the world
Such is his success, that from Belinda to Mia Khalifa, are singing it and looking for ways to get his attention. Khalifa was seen in a video singing and dancing to the hit ‘Ella Baila Sola’ that has placed Peso Pluma at the top of the show.
However, scholar Luis Omar Montoya says it would appear that the Peso Pluma phenomenon has reached its climax, and its exhaustion may be near.
“We can see it in his latest release, Genesis, which is not a surprising, quality material, it seems that he put it out because he had to,” says Montoya. “His only contribution is the addition of the violin.”
The impact of his music has been so great that even the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Orador (AMLO) has launched a campaign among young people not to listen to it.
For Montoya, this is laughable, since corridos are closely linked to the country’s political life.
“The corrido is a product of neoliberalism, you cannot moralize a reality and not take responsibility for that”, adds the expert in Mexican corridos.
For him, the discourse of the corridos tumbados has worn out and he anticipates that soon another musical fusion will appear, with another discourse linked to drug trafficking.
Mexico has registered in recent years a rampant increase in crime, violence and cartel fighting. All this has impacted and determines the discourse and composition of the corrido, in this case, the corrido tumbado.
“The drug war has evolved, the attrition of the groups, the entry of fentanyl, the modernization of drug trafficking has an impact on the lyrics of corridos. This may be happening with Peso Pluma, although they found something striking, it is time for them to renew themselves or die,” he adds.
Montoya emphasizes the political ideas and pamphlets that are spread in corridos.
“It’s a well thought out message. If we add to this the religious framework we will see that we are moving on a very delicate line.”
This academic appeals to the objectives of the promoters of characters like Peso Pluma. “They appeal to a visual image, not an auditory one.”
Montoya predicts that following the trends, this phenomenon of corridos tumbados may last up to three years, then a generational recharge will come, which may already be brewing.
