Mexican authorities are providing state protection to renowned regional singer Natanael Cano and other artists after a drug cartel in northern Mexico issued public death threats against them, prosecutors confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Over the weekend, photos of a banner threatening the lives of Cano, a singer of corridos—a musical genre often associated with drug cartel violence—and several other artists in the Sonora region circulated on social media.
The banner appeared to be signed by “Jalisco Matasalas,” a group within a faction of the Sinaloa cartel known as the “Chapitos,” which has sown terror in northern Mexico in recent months amid a bloody power struggle. The gang accused the singers of “financially helping” a rival gang known as the “Salazares.”
“This is the last time you will receive a warning, just in time for you to cut the crap. Mind your own business,” the banner read. “If you don’t heed this warning, you will be shot.”
The Sonoran Prosecutor’s Office told the AP on Tuesday that the threatening message was found hanging from a school and that they had opened an investigation.
Allan de la Rosa, a spokesperson for the prosecutors, said authorities offered state protection to the artists to “prevent any aggression related to the direct threat displayed on the banner.” He did not elaborate on the nature of the protection.
Cano’s communications team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Corridos, composed of ballads from northern Mexico, is a musical genre long linked to drug violence, but it also depicts the harsh realities many Mexicans face living under narco violence. The genre, along with Mexican regional music, is experiencing a resurgence with younger artists like Cano and Peso Pluma blending classic styles with other genres like trap music.
Over the past five years, streaming of Mexican music has grown 400% on Spotify, and in 2023, Mexican artist Peso Pluma surpassed Taylor Swift as the most streamed artist on YouTube.
Such artists have long faced sharp criticisms from authorities and threats from drug gangs.
In 2023, Peso Pluma—who paid homage to drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in songs—was forced to cancel a show in Tijuana after receiving threats from a rival of the Sinaloa Cartel, warning that “it would be your last performance” if he proceeded with the concert.
Later, Tijuana banned the performance of narco ballads altogether to protect “the eyes and ears” of youths as it tries to contain violence. Local authorities in northern states had previously banned musicians from singing narcocorridos.
The threats against Cano follow a surge in violence in Sinaloa and other northern Mexican states, triggered by the kidnapping and capture of narco boss Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the ensuing all-out war between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, including the one that allegedly threatened Cano.
Source: AP News
