Narcocorridos New Rich in Mexico (bootlegging)

                         

      Narcocorridos is a Mexican style of music that originated in the north of Mexico. Before Narcocorridos, the term used to be known as "corridos," which is traditional folk music played with an accordion accompanied by other instruments. The main rhythmic sound comes from the accordion. But after the drug dealing business increased the style of corridos developed into the new style called Narcocorridos. Narco means smugglers.Nowadays both styles are still played. Narcocorridos has gained popularity but mostly comes from the smugglers. The smugglers like to hear Narcocorridos because the songs are made for them to promote them and to help them show their lives.

                                               "A La Moda" by Gerardo Ortiz

A la moda y en buenos carros                  

y mis plebes bien armados
bien vestidos y de trajes
y por fuera empecherados
lestes Prada y sus rosarios              Translation ----->
brillantes por todos lados


Asi se navega el jefe
a la moda trabajando
ya lo conoce la gente
y tambien a sus muchachos
lanza granda y bazuca
devolada arremangamos


Hugo Boss, Dolce & Gabanna
y en su cara lentes Prada
con un Rolex de diamantes
y la Chayenne blindada
entrando al hotel de lujo
junto con sus guarda espaldas


Hay miraron al muchacho
en un ferrari del año
hiban camionetas duras
y varios encapuchados
y la moda ke no falla
andavan edhardysados


Los miraron en un antro
por cierto muy alterados
con botellas en exceso
y las plebes por un lado
con ese porte elegante
protegiendo akel muchacho

                                             "A la Moda" Filmed in San Antonio, Texas


The Narcocorridos is a really similar genre to Ganster Rap music. The difference is that Narcocorridos are from Mexico. And like any other rapper they talk about their personal materialism to shock people and show off money. This is also known as "conspicuous consumption."  "A la Moda" starts talking about how his helpers or "plebes" are dressed luxuriously. Showing off that his helpers have great clothes reflects his wealth in that not only does The Boss/ El Jefe buy luxurious items for himself but also the helpers get luxurious items. The 2nd stanza is when he introduces himself, saying that he works dressed in high fashion and that everyone knows him. Then he describes that he uses Hugo Boss, Dolce & Gabanna, Prada and Rolex with diamonds just as rap music describes too. He mentions going to a luxurious hotel with his body guards following him with a bullet proof car. The fact that he is being escorted by two bodyguards increases the gaudiness but of course he has to do that because he is a smuggler and enemies might harm him. His conspicuous consumption shows that he got his money by bootlegging. At the end he says that his "plebes"  are protecting the boss with class.

The song reminded me of when Gatsby used to work for Dan Cody, the wealthy man. Gatsby, a "plebe" in this case, help this man Dan Cody because only the really wealthy like him would help a poor man like Gatsby. Similar to "A la Moda," the guy shows the big amount of money he has by spending money not only on himself but also on the helpers. Dan Cody left Gatsby with some money just like "A la Moda" talks about the money spent on the boss's servants. Cody hires Gatsby so he could be taken care of by Gatsby. Gatsby "was in turn steward, mate, skipper, secretary, and even jailor, for Dan Cody," just how the body guards are with the boss in the "A la Moda" song/video (100). In the last stanza the song describes the scene in a night club drinking and being taken care of by the servants, similarly to the Dan Cody and Gatsby relationship.

In the song "A la Moda" the word "plebes" is being used a couple times. In the song the word means servants/plebeians. The boss states that his "plebes" take care of him similarly to the Feudal period. During the Feudal period the low class would work for the nobles because the "plebes" depended on the money that the royal family owned. In "The Great Gatsby", the first owner of Gatsby's house had a story that he  would pay for five years the tax of everyone in the neighborhood just so their houses could have straw made roofs. The houses around his house would look low class and poor. His idea were similar to the ideology from Feudalism era. The old owner of the house wanted to be seen as the royal family of the neighborhood. In the song "A la Moda" the boss purpose is to be seen as the royal lord with his "plebes" around making him look glorious.