Corridos tumbados: the modern spin on the Mexican ballad is taking over the charts, but has a complicated past
In Mexico, the corrido â a form of musical ballad used to tell classic tales of romance and struggle â is nothing new, but it is now going global.
From the rapid success of Grammy-nominated artist Peso Pluma to Grupo Frontera linking up with huge stars like Big Bunny, a polished new take on traditional Mexican folk is having a real moment. Despite authorities' attempts to ban or censor some songs, due to some of the genre's lyrics depicting organised crime and cartel violence, its rise shows no signs of slowing.
First becoming popular during the Mexican Revolution as a way of reacting to the day’s news, taking the mick out of the opposition, and swaying public opinion, these narrative songs were used for mass-communication, and told the stories of brave, fearless heroes who
