Corridos are songs that send news or a story, set to simple polka like music. Beginning in the 1800's they became popular, but it was during the Mexican Revolution, when corridos became essential, more so as a way to funnel news to the mostly illiterate population. The corridos sent news of major events, celebrated victories, grieved loses and gave recognition to the heroes of the revolution. A sample is Corrido del General Zapata, (Corrido of Emiliano Zapata, also called Atila of the South)
Moving ahead to narco times, and today. Corridos are used by cartels to send news, threaten or boast about their activities or give a nod to a narco deemed a hero. The corrido above is supposedly a message from Rafael Caro Quintero.
Convicted of the murder of DEA agent Kiki Camarena, the 62 year old Caro Quintero, who co-founded the once powerful Guadalajara Cartel, was released from prison last August. His court ordered release was on based on grounds of court "irregularities". This enraged the U.S. due to the warrant out for his arrest. Mexico has claimed it was a "mistake" and has since issued a warrant for his re-arrest.
This corrido was recommended and translated by Borderland Beat reader "Saul"
"I Am Rafael Caro Quintero"
Convicted of the murder of DEA agent Kiki Camarena, the 62 year old Caro Quintero, who co-founded the once powerful Guadalajara Cartel, was released from prison last August. His court ordered release was on based on grounds of court "irregularities". This enraged the U.S. due to the warrant out for his arrest. Mexico has claimed it was a "mistake" and has since issued a warrant for his re-arrest.
"I Am Rafael Caro Quintero"
Thanks to Graduates
everyone who supported me
I thank God I'm free
number 1 all have nicknamed me
I am Rafael Caro Quintero
I have new plans and new secrets
to live as a person of honor
Life is tough when you are charged this is true
the moments in prison as well
My Friends and women
are always here with me my people that I cherish
It was 28 years and if something I was to pay them I already
have
Time for me to leave
I hear whispers of another country calling me
they do not scare me, because I still have value
and it will not be so easy to bring me out of here
because I owe them nothing.
hello my brother my grandest friend Rafael
it gives me pleasure to see you today
things are not like before, you see it
there are new people, new generation
the "Plebada" these days have no respect
if you owe, there's no mercy no forgiveness
only to see as you fly through the air
they will shoot you, take care and may god be with you.
I thank you, look my time to leave has not come
I will be happy while living,
also when I leave this life
as I was born to die
Since a young boy I knew what I wanted
good friend, when bad be careful
maybe you will see me walking the streets
I retire I'm Caro quintero
Viva r1 usted Gano !!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis Is The Only Way For Mex To Fix The Problem Put someone respectable by all and knows how to work
ReplyDeleteRespectable???
DeleteThanks for reposting this BB. I think this info adds value and is beneficial.
ReplyDeleteCan someone comment how one gang is identified from another gang. Like how would a CDG identify a Zeta or any other cartel. Are they separated from colors, a team emblem, by cowboys boats and hats.
How do you know the diff between a CDG, CDS, BLO, Z, LFM. You see where I'm getting at. If anyone's knows,share the knowledge.
Through the radios that they use rival cartels communicate with each other, kind of like a police scanner example when El 7-7 was talking to the autodefensas telling them to not enter Apatzingan
DeleteThis could have been a good corrido, but at 1:04 they fucked it up. don't try to be trendy with a crazy change up in the rhythm. You don't see Alegres del barranco, ariel camacho, (who are legit), resort to lame rhythm gimmicks and overt lyrics. ADB's Pavel is a beast on the accordion, their lyrics are way better than anything Gerardo ever sang, sometimes I wonder how Gerardo goofball songs blow up and solid Corridos like "Los Principios" "Las 2 Fincas" "La Gente del Chapo" don't, smh. Ariel Camacho is makin noise with his stuff, "El Karma" "El Compa Guero" "Toro Encartado" are solid in terms of lyrics, rhythm, and voice. Los Incomparables are O.G.s and no one can ever take that away, nothing but respect for them, however, they fucked this one up.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you know a thing or two about the musica..I myself aren't really into newer style corridos,but I do like the ones you just mentioned,and think Alegres are one of the best outhere right now.
DeleteCorridos used to have a message that was true about men of respect and the situations that were going on. Now they are all fake stories , novelas that are full of shit. I love corridos, just not this new bullshit .
DeleteSaludos R-1 el valley de tejas starr co
ReplyDeleteAki en valle es puro cdg
DeleteNo mames. . Start Co is cdg.. Desde la Grulla. .. u should come outa ur house n yell that.. don't be a pendejo. . Not trying to be rude to u but this place is crawling with cdg. From here all the way to south padre. I'm not in that stuff but every one knows who controls here
DeleteEl cartel del golfo llego al nivel de mierda. There trash just like any other hood gang. Yeah they're crawling around, thats what they know how to do well.
DeleteLet them try to stand up with there bullshit like in mex.,,,, They wont last.
We do have the right to defend ourselves and we will.
He is the man. I have always respected Caro.
ReplyDeleteABK
The first line should be" thanks to all the lawyers that where faithfull"
ReplyDeleteThat is the first line... graduates have a licence to practice law. A licenciado at times refers to lawyers. This is one od those times.
DeleteQue regrese el sorrio no se a visto en 25 años
ReplyDeleteEl ariel camcho canta feo con su guitarra trying to copy los hijos del barron. Todas las canciones ke kanta no son del. most of them are from enigma. He aint doing no noise. Ni se oye . As de ser pariente pero canta feo. Never heard of this fool.
ReplyDeleteTu que vas a saber que se esta escuchando aca?
DeleteZetas and golfos are city street punk kids people from el triangulo de oro are people from the sierra born into the drug trade cowboy boots and hats while z and golfo are more street gang type.
ReplyDeleteits very true.
DeleteThat's true for the new generation, but I know old schools that are just about business. They seal a deal with a hand shake. Now these new guys seal a deal with a gun. It'll never be like it use to, when your word was written in stone. El que nada debe, nada teme.
Delete@12:12pm I was thinking the same thing, corrido was going pretty solid until 1:04 damn they fucked up bad haha too bad cause the lyrics was actually pretty, hopefully someone else comes out with the same song but does a much better job with the tone. Does not sound like your typical Incomparables or Nuevos Rebeldes song at all.
ReplyDeleteOne word for this corridor, "LAME" corridor aburrido.
ReplyDeleteThis might sound stupid but can someone decipher this corrido? Is Caro saying he's retiring from the game? It's confusing bc he also says he has new plans and new secrets.
ReplyDeleteIt is kinda true Golfos & Zetas are mostly gangsters but most of there whole family have been involve in the mafia since juan garcia was still hustling
ReplyDeleteMost of the new generation CDG members act like gangsters bc that's what they have become, a glorified gang. Actually, more like a group of rival gangs that just so happen to share the same name. That's the CDG of today.
DeleteMatamoros is the real cdg and fuck this quintero he aint shit.he tried to make his own cartel and failed.hes nothing but one of chapos and mayos bitches.
DeleteGod be with you? Since when does God support Narcos? These guys are so cofused! No wonder they pray to the Santa Muerte!
ReplyDeleteNarcotics corridor suck! What ever happened to real men corridos!
ReplyDeleteI miss the old corridos. . Now it's like boy band type of corridos. .
DeleteMy people's you don't hear about VICENTE CARRILLO FUENTES MUSIC he N LA LINEA / BARRIO AZTEKAS defended JUAREZ 4rm this garbage of cheapo's people's all this year's N 4 some lame 2 say otherwise look for the FACTS
ReplyDeleteThanks for listening and translating. I refuse to listen to Germany's Polka after living in Bavaria for several years. Interesting message.
ReplyDeleteMan this guy could be running stuff? I doubt it though. He wouldn't have needed any money from Chapo and Mayo when he got out perhaps just a ride up to the Sierra. He's got tens of millions probably more.
ReplyDeleteWtf does Z and CDG have to do with this article???
ReplyDeleteIts comparing the old school narcos from quinteros time to todays. I think most people respect rafa i have a friend from parral doing 25 and he is a very respectful person shakes aeveryones hands throws in a joke to calm everyone down he never used violance unless it was to protect himself or his people we all miss him and hope he gets out soon saludos a don rafa desde caborca sonora.
Deletethe color that identifies the gang is money, if you are not buying FROM ME, you must be buying from my enemy, therefore... una madriza is in order, you keep it up, as not buying from me, proves it, then hasta la vista baby!
ReplyDelete--regarding corridos aburridos, it is lately all just horrible noise, while on time tune and rithm, they don't have good arrangements or innovative musical structure, nothing nice to say, nothing smart said, nada! it is all just new noise full of nothing...
--sonora y sus ojos negros, or los caminos de michoacan, pedro aviles, they were corridos like many others of the past.
--today's corridos like their singers are in need of good composers and music classes, y va a estar bien cabron...
--the US is complaining about rafa's liberation, but they released juan ramon matta ballesteros, another murderer of kiki camarena and pilot zavala avelar, whose presence in the house where the crime was done is widely documented, and the US released him much sooner than rafa, ballesteros other accomplice, (george hw bush handiboy and boyfriend) felix ismael rodriguez was never prosecuted, on orders from above, and the US press isn't making any waves, colonel oliver north of fawx news is not sayin' anything either, the way the spin stops there on the fax news is they supress 80% of the news...call bullshit!!!
HE NEEDS TO BE PUT TO SLEEP, AINT ANY NARCOS HELPING MEXICO.. KILL ALL THE NARCOS AND MEXICO, AND LET THE U.S START PRODUCING AND TRANSPORTING ITS OWN SHIT.
ReplyDeleteHe better stay in hiding because the DEA will never stop hunting this guy.
ReplyDeleteDEA agent Kiki Camarena is a legend... The way they tortured that guy, no one deserves to die like that...
I still can't believe they let this guy back on the streets. Who's next Z-40?
Didn't the CIA kill Kiki to shut him up.
DeleteJust like DEA made Kiki a legend they killed him too. Read up on it my friend. The DEA was present when Kiki was tortured and murdered and they are the ones who gave the green light for his murder.
Deleteeste guey esta trabajando con el pinche nieto
ReplyDeleteI grew up without a father that supposedly died around the time of Caro's capture... He was from Zacatecas, I heard before The Guadalajara Cartel built their fields in Chihuahua, they started out in ZAC. It wasn't until I became a felon that my mother started talking to me about my father, in her 1st visit while I was incarcerated one of the first things she said was that his nick-name was YAYO and that after all these years, she's not sure if he's dead or alive...
ReplyDeleteUr nickname should b el " mole"
DeleteWhats ur pops last name?
DeleteIf you want to share
It's been slow lately in the narco game, no arrest, killings, nothing.
ReplyDeleteIt is probably best you leave things where they are, with respect to your father. that said, Mexico has the inmate data that gives info just like US, I think only for the federal prison system. But you can also pay to glean public information just as you can in the states. Like those people search sites where you pay a fee. I don't know where your life is now, but it seems the issue of your father is a nagging presence in your mind. I wish you well.
ReplyDeletePaz
chivis it is good to find out, believe me, i have some things pending, and if it is a bitter pill we have to swallow, our sins catch up with us sooner or later, and sometimes have been there for many many years.
ReplyDeletei think his mother can tell him all she knows about his dad, name, friends, where he was from, his family... i just got surprised recently, people knew things and i never knew, it is time to meet the past...
EL Komander se sienta en La Paloma
ReplyDeleteI el tronco.
Delete1:02pm Si mon ese!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteEl ariel camcho canta feo con su guitarra trying to copy los hijos del barron. Todas las canciones ke kanta no son del. most of them are from enigma. He aint doing no noise. Ni se oye . As de ser pariente pero canta feo. Never heard of this fool.
August 1, 2014 at 3:56 PM
HAHAHA Calmate paisita. Pinches nopaleros se creen bien verga pero ni saben que para el resto de la republica son la gran burla y verguenza de Mexico neta jajajajaja....bajate de tu caballo alto wey pareces y eres un inutil
Hi Chivis , True in conflicts ballads or corridos have existed and your polka remark even dates back to Austrian troops in Matamoros 1861-66.
ReplyDeleteAnd more so Austrian /German "advisors' later in the next century during the revolution. Sure they left some polka music, beer, and babies in Mexico along with Mausers, Maxims, and lugers. Trivia : Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Maximillian were directly related. Keep up the fantastic humanitarian "reporting"
Heck, I thought it was a group of Arabs singing because of the vato with the crazy beard.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more!
ReplyDeleteWonder what kiki Jr thinks about this now that he's become a judge.
ReplyDeleteI think a long Colorado stay in a mountain resort would suit him well . LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL,
ReplyDeleteThey need to keep wiping up.all the small cartel leave all the big ones make a truce and have one big shot calling the shots and under him his capos raffael tour the one me will b a batter place just like the old times!
ReplyDeleteNot really sure...
ReplyDeleteIn my sister's Baby-Book, I seen him write CRUZ, then he erased it and wrote HIDROGO.
AND thank you Chivis for responding!
ReplyDelete