MEXICO
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Grupo Firme reached a historic milestone by packing the iconic Foro Sol in Mexico City seven times, bringing together an audience of 455,000, according to figures from Mexican promoter Ocesa.
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The shows were part of Firme’s successful 2022-23 Enfiestados y Amanecidos Tour. Their last concert at the venue was Saturday (March 11), when 65,000 people shows up, according to organizers.
“So far, the Mexican regional group is the only one to pull out seven concerts at Foro Sol as part of the same tour,” Ocesa told Billboard Español.
Foro Sol, part of the legendary Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, headquarters of Formula 1 in Mexico, is a stadium that has hosted some of the most important musical events in the country, including concerts by legends such as U2, Coldplay, Guns N’ Roses and the late British rock star David Bowie, who in 1997 was chosen as the opening act of this venue with his Earthling World Tour.
Since its creation in 2013, Grupo Firme has established itself as one of the most cherished Mexican regional bands, not only due to their music but also to its style and charisma.
Their songs, which combine the tradition of the genre with elements of pop and urban music, have become huge hits in Mexico, the U.S. and beyond. Titles like “El Tóxico,” “Ya Supérame” and “Cada Quien,” to name a few, have appeared on the Billboard charts.
Among their multiple achievements, the band has sold shows in a matter of minutes.
Grupo Firme has also been credited with having gathered the largest audience for a free concert in Mexico City’s Zócalo last September: 280,000 people, according to the municipal authorities.
According to their representatives, these achievements “generate great expectations regarding a new U.S. tour in cities they have never visited before, so that all their fans can enjoy their greatest hits live.”
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The backstory behind the recent kidnapping in Mexico continues to get stranger by the day. Officials have received a letter stating the cartel has turned over the men responsible for the crime.
As per the Associated Press local officials of the city of Matamoros, Mexico received a letter that is said to be sent by the Scorpions faction of the Gulf cartel. In the message, the criminal organization shows they do have a heart and offer their remorse to locals over the fact that an innocent bystander was killed in the operation. Additionally, the individuals who penned it say they handed over the gunmen.
“We have decided to turn over those who were directly involved and responsible in the events, who at all times acted under their own decision-making and lack of discipline,” the letter read. Additionally, the not-for-profit news agency implies the note also included photos of the five men who orchestrated the brazen kidnapping of four Americans last week.
Since the incident, the United States has deployed the National Guard to patrol the border. Mexican security analyst David Saucedo says the extra presence has made it difficult for criminal organizations to run shop.
“It is very difficult right now for them to continue working in terms of street-level drug sales and transferring drugs to the United States; they are the first ones interested in closing this chapter as soon as possible,” Saucedo said. The two survivors from the kidnapping are currently recuperating at Texas based medical facilities.
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Two United States citizens are lucky to be alive, but two are deceased. A pair of Americans who were kidnapped in Mexico are back on home soil.
As spotted on CBS News some Myrtle Beach, South Carolina natives experienced a harrowing nightmare during a recent trip to Mexico. On Friday, March 3, four Americans, one woman and three men, crossed the border in a Chrysler Pacific minivan.
While in the city of Matamoros their vehicle was hit by another car at an intersection and an unidentified man opens fire. Suddenly, a white pick up truck arrives and more armed individuals force the four passengers onto the bed of their truck. Sadly a local Mexican woman was also killed in the crossfire.
As per BBC on Tuesday, March 7 the Americans were eventually found being held hostage in a wooden shack. Unfortunately, two of the hostages passed away while one of the survivors was wounded. According to Mexican officials, the hostages were moved around to several different locations to “create confusion and avoid efforts to rescue them”. The survivors were identified as Latavia “Tay” McGee and Eric James Williams.
The two deceased have been identified as Zindell Brown and Shaeed Woodard. McGee and Williams were escorted by heavily armed Mexican convoy back through the border. Reportedly, the trip was scheduled in order for Latavia to undergo a tummy tuck medical procedure.
Both McGee and Williams are currently recuperating in hospitals. Obviously, questions are still being asked.
Santa Fe Klan is constantly innovating. His free-flowing style has taken him to the next level, including arenas like on his upcoming 38-date U.S. tour, Todo y Nada (or All and Nothing), which kicks off June 10 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Like his tour name suggests, the 22-year-old Mexican rapper lays it all on the table with a nothing-to-lose approach. “My people know everything about me. I have never hidden anything from them. I am that way,” he told Billboard Español. He’s an artist who candidly spits rhymes on his experiences in the hood, family life, romantic encounters and Mexican pride.
As a dynamic lyricist with a passionate flow, and with the ability to navigate a diversity of sounds — from mellow rap to dancehall-style toasting — it’s almost impossible to turn a deaf ear to his music. His fanbase continues to grow as he expands the outer limits of rap.
“The truth is that I always come up with crazy ideas and this time I wanted to do something that no one would see coming,” Ángel Quezada (real name) told Billboard last August. “I wanted to show that an artist can do whatever he wants regardless of genres, and I wanted to do acoustic ballads to connect even more with my fans.”
Emerging from the underground of Mexico’s booming rap scene, he began showcasing his candid wordplay when he was just 12 years old from the barrio of Santa Fe, the capital of Guanajuato in central Mexico, just north of Mexico City. From dropping viral tracks on YouTube and SoundCloud since 2016, the prolific rapper has built an ever-growing international following — his overall video view count currently clocks in at a staggering 3.9 billion streams.
In between, he has also released a cumbia sonidera-leaning album (Santa Cumbia), collaborated with the likes of Run the Jewels and M.I.S. (“Ooh La La” remix); and on his latest 2022 efforts, Mundo, Santa Fe Klan soothes his usual hard-hitting bars for a more melodic approach, where he dedicates songs to his mother and newborn son Luka. The album also features a collaboration with romantic pop group Reik.
“It was difficult to open up in this album because it reflects my day-to-day reality,” he previously said. “This specific album mirrors the experiences my community is going through; I wanted to project that so my people could identify with mine.”
Mundo debuted at No. 4 on Latin Pop Albums and No. 11 on Latin Rhythms Albums. The single “Mar y tierra” earned him his first entry on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart.
Santa Fe Klan talks tattoos, his artistic evolution navigating various genres — he’s pivoting to regional Mexican music on his next efforts — and bringing Snow The Product and Tornillo on tour with him.
1. Todo y Nada is your first 30-date arena tour in the United States. How do you feel?
It’s already 38 dates and I thank all my people in the United States for all the support! I’m bringing you a new show and we’re going to have a great time.
2. In each album you’ve released, you have constantly shown your artistic evolution. We’ve seen you emerge from the underground rap scene in Mexico, then do cumbia sonidera and more recently, regional. What can we expect from your next material?
(Laughs) Yeah, right? I like to experiment with genres and I also like those genres. They are the ones I have listened to since I was a little kid. And now we are coming with a regional Mexican album that includes several collaborations. Expect that soon.
3. Tell me about your latest single, “Mecha Corta.” How did this collaboration with Remmy Valenzuela come about?
That was badass. We met at the Akron Stadium [in Zapopan, Jalisco] when Grupo Firme was there [on September 24, 2022]. We were both invited to sing, and there we chatted and agreed to record. A few days later, he came to my studio in Guadalajara and we got together. I showed him the lyrics of the song and the whole thing went off (laughs).
4. What inspires you when you compose music?
Daily life, what happens in the hood. Many of my songs are stories that I’ve been told and others are things that I have gone through. For example, the song “Luka” [from the album Mundo of 2022] was written for my unborn son at the time.
5. Last year you made your debut on the Hot Latin Songs chart with “Mar y Tierra,” and your album Mundo also made it to several charts. What is your reaction seeing your music on the Billboard charts?
No well, it makes me very happy that everything is going good, that my people continues to support me, and that more and more of my music is being listened to. Thanks to Billboard for all the support. I will continue to represent the barrio.
6. You have been at the forefront of the new generation of rappers in Mexico, such as Gera MX, Aleman, Neto Peña, to name a few. How would you describe the rap scene in Mexico compared to other parts of Latin America?
Rap is a culture that my carnales (friends) and I in Mexico — and the world — represent in the same way. Much respect to all the clika (the community) for representing the genre. Each country expresses itself differently with its own style, but we are all the same.
7. You have some very cool tattoos, what is the newest one? Can you explain the meaning of some of your most special tattoos?
I just tattooed the word “Lealtad” (or Loyalty) on one hand because it is something very important in life. Without that, there is nothing. I have my parents tattooed, without them I wouldn’t be here. I also have my son Luka’s name on my fingers, and on my abdomen I have part of the streets of my barrio.
8. You will be touring with Snow Tha Product and Tornillo. What do you like most about the work of each of them?
Rifan machin my two carnals (my two friends have skills). For me it’s a pleasure to have both of them with me on the tour. We are going to have a great time with my people. Their work says it all. They have come a long way.
9. What is the origin of your stage name Santa Fe Klan?
That’s the name of my hood back in Guanajuato, the state capital.
10. How has Santa Fe shaped your personality?
In everything. The barrio saw me grow up and taught me loyalty and respect for people, and that we are all equal. ¡Arriba el barrio, arriba la Santa!
11. What do you consider your biggest achievement?
Professionally, that my music has reached so many people and that it has charted in the best lists. So far, I have filled the Monterrey arena and the Mexico City arena. Let’s see what’s in store for us in 2023. And personally, my greatest achievement is to have all my family well and the hood.
12. What is your favorite food?
My favorite food are tacos, aguachile, ceviche and carne asada with the compas (homies) pouring caguamas (drinking 40s).
13. Favorite sneaker brand?
I like the white [Nike] Air Force One. They never fail.
14. Besides your music, who or what have you been listening to lately?
I listen to the music of my carnales in [the collective] 473 Music, so you all can hear them. They turn up.
15. Who was your favorite artist when you were young?
Chalino Sánchez. Big time.
16. What’s your favorite movie?
I don’t have any. I like a lot, but more the horror or action ones.
17. What do you like most about being a rapper?
Recording, writing songs, and singing to the whole gang. It’s a good time.
18. For someone who has never been to Guanajuato, how would you describe it? What do you love about your hometown?
Downtown is really cool. To go eat a guacamaya or some chicharrones with cueritos (pig skin), rolling around with a joint. And [what I love is] my people, my neighborhood.
19. What is something your fans don’t know about you that you would like to share?
My people know everything about me. I have never hidden anything from them, I am that way. The only thing they don’t know is what’s coming on my next album that they’re going to love.
20. What can we expect from your U.S. tour?
Lots of partying! Lots of rap! Lots of cumbia… We’re going to get everyone lit. I want to see you all.
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A top Mexican official who once helped his country tackle the growing problem of drug gangs has now been convicted of himself helping drug cartels move weight across south of the border.
Raw Story is reporting that on Tuesday (February 21), the former Secretary of Public Security of Mexico, Garcia Luna, was found guilty in a Brooklyn federal court of taking bribes from drug traffickers who he was supposed to be taking off the streets in exchange for protection and information on rivals and authorities. Prosecutors argued that Luna took millions of dollars in bribes from El Chapo’s Sinaloa Cartel from 2006-2012 when he was tasked to be taking down the now-infamous drug cartel. Luna now faces at least 20 years in prison for his transgression.
“Garcia Luna, who once stood at the pinnacle of law enforcement in Mexico, will now live the rest of his days having been revealed as a traitor to his country and to the honest members of law enforcement who risked their lives to dismantle drug cartels,” said US prosecutor Breon Peace, welcoming the verdict.
A spokesperson for the current Mexican government, which has accused Garcia Luna of stealing more than $200 million of public funds and has demanded his extradition, said in a tweet that “justice has arrived.”
Prosecutors argued that Garcia Luna, who held high-ranking security positions in Mexico from 2001 until 2012, was the cartel’s “partner in crime.”
We hope Luna enjoyed that money while he could because we doubt anyone’s going to be trying to break him out of prison like his former employer, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Unfortunately for Luna, nine of the 26 people who testified against him were former drug traffickers from Mexico who cooperated with U.S. prosecutors in hopes of getting leniency in their own upcoming trials.
They included former several high-level cartel bosses, including Jesus “Rey” Zambada, Sergio Villarreal and Oscar “Lobo” Valencia.
They claimed to have paid millions of dollars to Garcia Luna collectively, and through Arturo Beltran Leyva, who ran his own drug cartel and served as a go-between with Garcia Luna, known as a “supercop,” in exchange for protection.
Nothing like snitching on law enforcement to help yourself get out of a sticky situation.
Garcia Luna was eventually arrested in Texas in December 2019 and charged with five counts including cocaine trafficking conspiracy and making false statements to authorities. His wife and two children were in court when his guilty verdict was announced.
You have to wonder if he’ll end up in the same prison as El Chapo. Just sayin.’
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Photo: YUKI IWAMURA / Getty
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El Chapo’s money was longer than we all thought. It is alleged he had Mexico’s top crime cop literally on his payroll.
As per Raw Story, Genaro García Luna was once perceived by the country of Mexico as an upstanding public official who was dedicated his life to putting a finish to his country’s longstanding drug war. As the appointed secretary of public security, Luna added over 30,000 police officers to their federal force among other efforts to better fight crime. This week, his reputation took a huge hit during a federal trial where one of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s former associates, testified that he used to give Luna huge lump sums of cash to ensure he would turn a blind eye to his illegal activities.
”He also had a second job, a dirtier job, a more profitable job,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Pilmar said at Luna’s trial in Brooklyn Federal Court Monday, Jan. 23. The Sinaloa Cartel would pay to keep their operation going by paying “to buy off the federal police, to put them on the payroll, to make them them part of the organization,” Pilmar said. “The defendant took their cash and betrayed his oath to his country.”
At El Chapo’s trial, cartel confidant turned informant testified he would bring Luna millions of dollars at a time during meetings at a restaurant. The federal prosecutor claim Luna would advise the cartel on pending arrests, let drugs go unscreened at checkpoints and flip some of his local force to act as bodyguards for the drug syndicate. “Members of the jury, the evidence will show that the defendant, the person who was supposed to be in charge of fighting the Sinaloa cartel, was actually its most valuable asset,” Pilmar explained in his opening statement.
But Luna’s defense attorney Cesar de Castro alleges his client was not corrupt and all the evidence comes from criminals who wanted him dead. “What better revenge than to bury the man who led the war against the cartels?” de Castro said. “These murderers, torturers, kidnappers literally get to kill two birds with one stone.” On Dec. 9, 2019, García Luna was arrested in Dallas on charges of taking millions in bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel. He has pleaded not guilty to the bribery charges.
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Barely a week ago, Carin León was announcing the release of his conceptual live album Cura Local (En Vivo) as a “treat” he wanted to give himself for Christmas. On Thursday (Dec. 22), three of its videos are trending on YouTube, including the one for “Dame Un Beso Y Dime Adiós” featuring Grupo Yndio, at No. 1.
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Released on Dec. 15 under his own record label, CL Music, Cura Local (En Vivo) includes 33 covers of songs that Carin León grew up listening to, like “Línea Telefónica,” also by Yndio; Roy Rosas’ “Cuando Toque Mi Piel,” and Los Apsons’ “Triste Luna.”
“I wanted to bring together the great artists from Hermosillo, those that I listened to in my childhood and my teens, and have the world see them,” the singer explained in a press conference in his native Hermosillo, Sonora, in northwestern Mexico, the day before the release. “We have a unique flavor and I want people to understand much more about Carin and my connection with these people, who are part of my DNA.”
“In Sonora, from the 70s to the 2000s, we had our own sound; we had our own way of sounding like a band, like a norteño. With all due respect to my Regional Mexican colleagues, we have always been different here, we have never wanted to look like anyone else, not even in the way we dress,” he added, surrounded by some of the acts featured in the album, such as Los Honorables, Manuel “El Indio” Ortega, Oscar Toscano, Roy Rosas, Alex Ramírez and Grupo Yndio.
Of the 33 songs in the set, 28 have music videos, three of which were trending on YouTube Thursday morning: “Dame Un Beso y Dime Adiós” featuring Grupo Yndio, at No. 1 with more than 3.8 million views; “Línea Telefónica” also with Yndio, at No. 12 with over 950,000 views; and “Déjenme Llorar” featuring Martín Ramos, at No. 20 with 600,000 views. The total views for the album’s videos already surpass 10 million.
According to a detailed report by Oplaai, a company that distributes León’s music, from Dec. 15-19 Cura Local (En Vivo) exceeded 4.5 million streams, with Spotify being the main platform, followed by Apple Music.
Prior to these stats, the singer assured at the press conference that more volumes will be released “because there’s still a lot of music to rescue,” and pointed out that “although singles prevail these days, I still think of making albums and concepts.”
Here are the 10 most-viewed videos for Cura Local in its first week:
1. “Dame un Beso y Dime Adiós”, Carin León Ft. Grupo Yndio
2. “Línea Telefónica”, Carin León Ft. Grupo Yndio
3. “Déjenme Llorar”, Carin León Ft. Martín Ramos
4. “Cuando Toque mi Piel”, Carin León Ft. Roy Rosas
5. “Abrígame”, Carin León Ft. Alex Ramírez
6. “Celos”, Carin León Ft. El Boca Aguada
7. “Triste Luna”, Carin León Ft. Los Apson
8. “Presa de tu Amor”, Carin León Ft. Manuel “El Indio” Ortega
9. “Las Higueras”, Carin León Ft. Fabián Gómez
10. “Tal Vez Sea Mejor”, Carin León Ft. Fabián Gómez
Video: Shanquella Robinson’s Father Describes Seeing Her Injuries Nearly two months removed from Shanquella Robinson‘s death, her grieving father Bernard Robinson opened up about the devastating moment he saw his daughter’s beaten and battered body, while the friends she was traveling with blamed her death on alcohol poisoning. Robinson said he knew the cause of […]
Replying to mounting criticism from the public and Mexican officials, Ticketmaster Mexico issued a formal statement on Monday (Dec. 12) following a ticketing fiasco that led to hundreds being denied access to Bad Bunny’s Mexico City shows Dec. 9 and 10.
“As has been reported, on Friday an unprecedented number of fake tickets were presented at the entrance of [Estadio Azteca], purchased outside our official channels,” wrote Ticketmaster in its release, posted on Twitter late Monday. “In addition to causing confusion among entrance officials, this situation generated a malfunction in our system, which for moments at a time, couldn’t properly identify legitimate tickets. It’s important to underscore that there was no oversale of tickets. Ticketmaster took the technological and logistical measures needed to ensure what happened on Friday would not happen on Saturday.”
Mexico’s Federal Attorney’s Office for Consumers (PROFECO), reported that more than 1,600 people were denied entry to Bad Bunny’s Friday show, leading to crowds of angry ticket-holders clamoring outside the gates of Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca. At the time, Ticketmaster attributed the issue to fake tickets that caused their system to malfunction. On Saturday, just 110 were denied entry.
PROFECO, however, said the ticketing problem for the Puerto Rican superstar’s shows was triggered by an “oversale” of tickets and that Ticketmaster would be fined as a result. “The difference between those defrauded in the first and second concert is proof of it. 1,600 tickets in the first concert… and 110 in the second”, PROFECO head Ricardo Sheffield explained on TV program Aguila o sol.
The fine for Ticketmaster México could amount to up to 10% of that company’s total sales in 2021, Sheffield said.
“Ticketmaster claimed they were counterfeit, but they were all issued by them,” Sheffield said in an interview on Saturday with Radio Fórmula.
PROFECO’s investigation determined that many tickets claimed as false were indeed legitimate and had been purchased through legitimate channels, according to Sheffield.
In its new missive, Ticketmaster says the Bad Bunny shows were the most in-demand ever in the country’s history, with 4.5 million people attempting to purchase just 120,000 available seats for both Azteca dates. The company said it’s collaborating “openly and widely” with the investigation and will refund ticket buyers in addition to paying them the 20% indemnization mandated by law.
Read full statement in Spanish below:
Ticketmaster has technology that can prevent the type of fraud that allegedly impacted entry to the show, but so far it has only been deployed in the United States. The technology, known as SafeTix, digitizes tickets and eliminates easy to duplicate barcodes that can be resold to multiple people. It’s unclear when the technology will be available in countries outside of the U.S.
Ticketmaster Mexico had been owned and operated by OCESA-CIE since the 1980s but last year Ticketmaster parent company Live Nation finalized its acquisition of Ticketmaster Mexico, transitioning the company from a license holder to a Ticketmaster subsidiary. Ticketmaster Mexico is forecast to sell 20 million tickets this year.
Massive overselling of tickets for the last two concerts of Bad Bunny’s World’s Hottest Tour in Mexico City this weekend led to hundred of people being denied entry to the superstar’s shows and will have million-dollar consequences for Ticketmaster Mexico, according to Mexican authorities.
The head of Mexico’s Federal Attorney’s Office for Consumers (PROFECO), Ricardo Sheffield, told the Televisa network on Sunday that those affected must receive a 100% refund plus a 20% compensation, and that the company will also be fined.
In a statement, Ticketmaster México acknowledged on Saturday that “the access problems were the result of the presentation of an unprecedented number of counterfeit tickets, which caused an unusual crowd of people and an intermittent operation of our system” which “generated confusion and made entrance to the stadium complicated, with the unfortunate consequence that some legitimate tickets were denied entry.”
Sheffield confirmed the ticketing problem for the Puerto Rican super star’s shows was triggered by an “oversale” of tickets. A total of 1,600 faulty tickets were reported for the first concert Dec. 9, and 110 for the second on Dec. 10. Both shows were at Estadio Azteca. Organizers said some 80,000 people attended each night.
“The difference between those defrauded in the first and second concert is proof of it. 1,600 tickets in the first concert… and 110 in the second”, Sheffield explained on TV program Aguila o sol.
The fine for Ticketmaster México could amount to up to 10% of that company’s total sales in 2021, the official said.
“Ticketmaster claimed they were counterfeit, but they were all issued by them,” Sheffield said in an interview on Saturday with Radio Fórmula.
According to the Mexican official, in its investigation, PROFECO determined that many tickets claimed as false were indeed legitimate and had been purchased through legitimate channels.
Those affected are also preparing a class action suit against the company. PROFECO opened an investigation and invited those who had irregularities with their tickets for Bad Bunny and other major events to file a complaint.
“As we are a fiscal authority, if they don’t want to pay of their own will, we will seize their accounts then, and they will pay because they have to,” said Sheffield.
The ticket issue delayed Bad Bunny’s show on Friday for almost an hour, while a crowd of hundreds outside Estadio Azteca demanded an explanation. Some people climbed through the main gate of the compound in an attempt to gain entry but were stopped by law enforcement. On Saturday, PROFECO announced plans to assist those affected.
Billboard Español reached out to both Ocesa and Ticketmaster Mexico for comment on Friday and Monday, but had not received a reply by press time. On Saturday, Ocesa sent Billboard the press release issued from Ticketmaster Mexico about what had happened at Estadio Atzeca the night before. Last year, Live Nation acquired 51% of the operations of the Mexican company Ocesa and Ticketmaster México.
Cancellations or duplications of tickets for concerts operated by Ticketmaster México and concert promoter Ocesa have increased in recent months for massive concerts, including those of Daddy Yankee, Harry Styles and Dua Lipa, according to complaints from users of the popular ticket sales platform.
The situation in Mexico comes after fans of pop star Taylor Swift collectively sued Ticketmaster parent company Live Nation in the United States for the chaotic ticket sales of her The Eras Tour. Thousands of the singer’s followers were unable to get tickets for her concerts.