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Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, the 24-year-old artist's real name, has enjoyed a meteoric musical rise.
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- Role, BBC News World
2 hours
Peso Pluma breaks all stereotypes and prejudices associated with regional Mexican music.
Born in Zapopan, Jalisco in 1999, the singer does not wear the typical Texan hat, colorful jackets or high boots, but goes through life with the clothes that some representatives of urban music have made common, such as caps and sports shoes.
Their songs, mostly Corridos Tumbados, are a mix of typical Nordic music that combines guitars with wind instruments such as trombone and tuba over rap beats and other genres.
And while it makes millions of people around the world dance and sing with its rhythms, it also sparks controversy because of some of the song lyrics it references well-known drug traffickers like Chapo Guzmán, to violence and drugs like “Tusi” (also called pink cocaine).
“I like to work. And if the order is to kill, that will not be questioned,” says the song Gavilán II, for example.
In 2022 he caused criticism in his own country “El Belicon”, a “narcorrecorrido” who went viral on TikTok and was called into question for his violent and explicit lyrics related to the world of drug trafficking. However, the song marked the beginning of his successful career.
Now the controversy has shifted to Chile, where various sectors have been pushing for implementation for days Viña del Mar Festival – which will take place between February 25th and March 1st – cancel your participation because you believe the artist is causing harm “Sorry for drug dealing” and violence.
However, the competition confirmed its participation this Wednesday, January 17, pointing out that “there are no legal or contractual reasons to withdraw the artist's participation”.
How did the controversy begin in Chile?
The debate in Chile about the featherweight division flared up according to the sociologist Alberto Mayol wrote an opinion column published on Radio Bíobio's website questioning this public event broadcast on a state broadcastera “promoter” of narco culture receives a platform.
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Renowned artists attended the Viña del Mar Festival. In the photo the Colombian Maluma, who performed in 2017.
The text quickly triggered reactions at a sensitive time for the South American country, which is in crisis serious security crisis.
Carolina Toha, Chile's Minister of Interior and Public Security said authorities were concerned about “surveillance of songs that…” They promote the drug culture and often have a very derogatory attitude towards women. and they reproduce very discriminatory paradigms when it comes to sexism.”
While the directory National Television of Chile (TVN)The public broadcaster that broadcasts the Viña del Mar Festival called for the cancellation of the Mexican singer's participation on the grounds that “he cannot share, broadcast or promote repertoires that refer to violence, drug trafficking and other elements related to the allude to so-called narco culture.”
However, the petition was unsuccessful. Festival organizers have argued that they will not cancel their show because they will not face “censorship or discrimination of any kind.”
In this way, the featherweight division will be presented to the Chileans on the night of Friday March 1st.
After his confirmation, the artist said he was “honored” by his participation in this and other festivals and that he hoped to bring “greater awareness” to Mexican music.
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Subtitle,
Interior Minister Carolina Tohá (pictured with President Gabriel Boric) said Chilean authorities were concerned about “policing songs that promote drug culture.”
Who is Featherweight?
Despite the controversy Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, The 24-year-old artist's real name has experienced a meteoric musical rise.
“It's the future that regional Mexican music labels have been dreaming of for four or five years,” said American public broadcaster NPR.
He is currently collecting on the YouTube platform nearby 5 million subscribers.
Last year he ousted the Puerto Rican star Bad bunny He is the most searched artist on YouTube, according to Latinmetrics, a free trends newsletter.
Her songs, such as “Ella Baila Sola,” performed with Eslabón Armado, have topped the Billboard 200 Latin Hot Songs chart.
Featherweight began his artistic career as a teenager.
In an interview with CNN, he said that he wrote between the ages of 14 and 15. as a means of coping with depression.
“As a teenager you go through a lot of changes and you feel alone, you feel sad. I've always been a very depressed person and I think that music is my therapy for me. When I write, when I sing, when I dance, when I take my baby steps “That's my way of expressing my feelings and I think it's my therapy,” he told CNN.
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Subtitle,
Peso Pluma said he started writing songs to “deal with depression.”
The performer added that it was then that he realized that his lyrics had a rhythm.
“It was easy for me to compose,” said the Mexican singer, who has also lived in New York and Texas.
It was precisely the USA where he worked as a waiter and construction worker and where his musical career began.
“I attended a high school in San Antonio, where there is a large Chicano community, so it was easy for me to integrate into American society and Mexico. I always listened to reggaeton, hip-hop and rap, But I realized that my voice was made for singing corridos because I heard them playing as a family all the time.”the artist explained to Variety magazine.
In its beginnings, Peso Pluma actually consisted of a group of three people, including the artist's cousin, Roberto Laija, who is also a musician. But when the audience began to identify Hassan with the pseudonym, he decided to keep it.
Over time, the artist received invitations from other musicians of the regional Mexican genre, such as: Natanael Cano and the Fuerza Regida GroupFor collaboration.
And like so many other city officials, these associations catapulted his career.
After “She Baila Sola”, her most famous song is “La Bebe”, a reggaeton song that she sings with fellow Mexicans Yng Lvcas and which has more than 800 million views on Spotify.
“Qlona” – which she sings with Karol G, the popular Colombian singer – is another of her hits that has accumulated more than 500 million views on Spotify.
And so Peso Pluma has managed to position itself as an important representative of Latin American urban culture.
Now it remains to be seen what his performance will be like at the Viña del Mar Festival, where both his admirers and his critics will certainly be following his performance closely.
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