Mexican Band at Center of 'Narco' Music Scandal Compares Itself to The Beatles

In a controversial statement, Mexican regional band Los Alegres del Barranco has drawn parallels between their current legal challenges and the backlash faced by the British band, The Beatles, in the U.S. in the 1960s. The comparison emerged as the Sinaloan band faces charges in Jalisco for allegedly promoting criminal activity during a concert where they displayed images associated with cartel figures last March.

At a recent court appearance, Luis Alvarado, the band's spokesperson, donned a Beatles T-shirt and addressed the media, stating, "Today I wear a very interesting shirt... because in 1966, four musicians were also prosecuted, canceled, persecuted, and investigated." Alvarado referenced the infamous incident where John Lennon's remark about The Beatles being "more popular than Jesus" led to widespread outrage, including record burnings and radio bans in the United States.

Alvarado further emphasized the band's stance on artistic freedom, asserting, "It doesn't matter if you're in the United States or Mexico; everyone who tells stories, whether with a pencil or an accordion, has the right to tell their stories... if those stories sometimes make someone uncomfortable, that shouldn't take away their right to freedom of expression"

Mexico is experiencing a significant crackdown on narcocorridos—a subgenre of regional Mexican music that narrates the lives of drug traffickers and often glorifies cartel violence. This movement, driven by concerns over public safety and the genre's potential to promote criminal behavior, has led to bans and restrictions across various states like Tijuana, Michoacán, and Jalisco. Los Alegres del Barranco, themselves, hail from the state of Sinaloa, a state currently gripped in a state of violence because of the civil war within the Sinaloa Cartel.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has proposed promoting alternative musical genres that convey positive messages, aiming to offer cultural options that do not glorify violence. Other Mexican musicians like Natanael Cano and Christian Nodal have voiced their opposition to the narcocorridoban, while others like the regional band, Los Tigres del Norte, have stated that they will follow the rules.

However, Los Alegres del Barranco have remained the most vocal opponents of the ban. The band's legal troubles stem from a March 29 performance in which a large screen displayed an image allegedly referencing Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho," the elusive leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The state attorney's office interpreted the act as glorification of a wanted criminal figure, prompting charges under Mexico's federal laws against promoting crime.