Smuggling, Betrayal, and the Handle of a Gun: Death, Laughter, and the Narcocorrido

A comparison of two narcocorridos, Los Tigres del Norte’s “Contrabando y traición” (1974) and Alfredo Ríos’s “El Katch” (2009), highlights both continuity and change in core features of the genre. Whereas Los Tigres del Norte demonstrate a greater degree of restraint, a change of perspective enables Ríos to enthusiastically celebrate the illicit lifestyle of the narco-trafficker. The lighthearted musical setting of “El Katch” emphasizes personal autonomy by degrading the sense of the power of death, but a preoccupation with mortality remains, following Ríos beyond the song’s boundaries into his off-stage reality.Peer reviewedPublished online July 5, 2013, according to publisher's website