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Speaker 1: The last time we checked in with our head figre

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Speaker 1: eldest boy, Joque Hernandez. He and his brothers had traveled

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Speaker 1: from the tiny rural community of Rossamorada, to the border

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Speaker 1: town of Mexicalli and eventually to San Jose del Tito.

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Speaker 2: We are not in Sinaloa anymore now.

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Speaker 1: In nineteen seventy two, with the help of his benefactor

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Speaker 1: art walker Akah Grants, he found himself in the strangest town.

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Speaker 2: Yet, Holly Wood.

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Speaker 1: Now, speaking as a recently minted Angelino myself, some of

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Speaker 1: la might have reminded hohev home from the mountains and

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Speaker 1: the hills to the mission style architecture. But can you

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Speaker 1: imagine coming from this tiny farm town and then seeing.

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Speaker 2: The Capitol Records building the Chinese Theater. Do you think

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Speaker 2: they went to Disney?

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Speaker 1: Uh? Not at Disney prices. Let's not forget they were

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Speaker 1: here on business and that shit is expensive. I barely

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Speaker 1: afford to take Sandy there for a day, all right, right.

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Speaker 2: Also, they're collecting tips for puppy's surgery, and they didn't

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Speaker 2: have a go fund me.

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Speaker 1: Back then, and despite having four albums under their belt,

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Speaker 1: Los Theater's career had yet to take off, making this

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Speaker 1: trip to La a little bit of the last ditch

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Speaker 1: effort for the group.

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Speaker 2: And in this town is who you know? And art

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Speaker 2: Walker was here to see one person.

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Speaker 1: Imagine him driving Quotia down Hollywood Boulevard, the Capitol Records

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Speaker 1: Building getting closer and closer and closer, and then they

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Speaker 1: drive right past.

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Speaker 2: It because art Walker did not have a guy Capitol Records.

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Speaker 1: Now he and Joree are in La to see Anhel Gonzalez,

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Speaker 1: a promising gori, the lyricist hailing from Basucil in the

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Speaker 1: state of Chihuahua.

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Speaker 2: Like Rossa Morada, it's a tiny farming town, but unlike

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Speaker 2: Rosa Morada, it's closer to the border. And bitch me

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Speaker 2: knowing because of my past life regression on the last episode.

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Speaker 1: Make sure you listen to that if you're just joining

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Speaker 1: us this week.

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Speaker 2: Okay.

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Speaker 1: Now, with his proximity to the border, Gonzales wrote corridos

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Speaker 1: that were a little different from the more traditional versions

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Speaker 1: that really talked about romance and revolutionaries, and art Walker

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Speaker 1: wanted Joe to hear one song in particular, Condra Bandoracion

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Speaker 1: m HM.

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Speaker 2: A tale of love, cross border, smuggling and betrayal. It's

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Speaker 2: given Bunny and Clyde. If Clyde was a fuck on,

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Speaker 2: Camilia and Emilio are Buddha and smuggling la between Mexico

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Speaker 2: and the US border. Remember when weed was illegal.

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Speaker 1: You mean the dark days. So the song follows Emilion

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Speaker 1: Camelia from Sani Siro Tijuana into San Clemente. Okay, which

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Speaker 1: if you're listening to this and you are on this side,

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Speaker 1: it is San Clementi, Like that's how they say it

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Speaker 1: in Orange County. Okay, I'm not going to say it

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Speaker 1: like that because you also latina yeas maol. Now let's

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Speaker 1: go back to the story. So they fly into San Clementy,

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Speaker 1: and in San Clementy they fly under the nose of

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Speaker 1: immigration officers and into La.

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Speaker 2: Into holly Wood, and there, in a shady alleyway, they

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Speaker 2: unload their contrabando from the tires of their car, literally

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Speaker 2: pounds and pounds of weed, and they get themselves what

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Speaker 2: paid honey.

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Speaker 1: But then comes La Brecion. Emilio tells Comedia it's been

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Speaker 1: real and says he's going back to his other lady

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Speaker 1: friend in San Francisco.

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Speaker 2: But hell has no fury like a bitch done dirty honey.

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Speaker 2: So Camelia pulls out her nine and like Rihanna at

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Speaker 2: Emilio honey.

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Speaker 1: By the way, should we be translating these songs into

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Speaker 1: English for another kind of podcast? Was this shit is fire?

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Speaker 1: Okay it is? It's dangerous now. It wasn't just three

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Speaker 1: pop pop pops. It was seven gunshots, to be exact.

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Speaker 1: And when the please get to the crime scene, they

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Speaker 1: find the pistol, but that's the last trace they find

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Speaker 1: of Camellia Latjana bitch.

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Speaker 2: We from Texas. So you know what, they ain't ever

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Speaker 2: gonna find her because we hide in her well. Okay, okay,

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Speaker 2: at least in the song, because in real life, Camelia

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Speaker 2: la Tehana is about to blow up everybody's feet.

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Speaker 1: Los Gres had a hit on their hands, and it

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Speaker 1: seems like they knew it because they tried recording it

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Speaker 1: several different ways, in several different arrangements. They even tried

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Speaker 1: making it a duet, which happened to be a trend

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Speaker 1: in gorridos at the time.

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Speaker 2: But the final version has Horquez singing solo in the

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Speaker 2: classic corridosteas, and.

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Speaker 1: The song became a smash hit that far exceeds the

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Speaker 1: Thegus Wildest Dreams. The record dominated Spanish language radio records

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Speaker 1: flew off the shelves, Camellia became a folk icon. I

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Speaker 1: mean she was like Bonnie, she.

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Speaker 2: Literally was, and those thegis became a household name for

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Speaker 2: Mexicanos on either side of the border.

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Speaker 1: After Camellia La Tejana came to life in film adaptations

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Speaker 1: and sequel songs, it became clear that Contrabando i Tracion

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Speaker 1: kicked off a revival of the corrido. But this revival

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Speaker 1: would make the original writer of the song, Ahil Gonzalez

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Speaker 1: a little uneasy.

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Speaker 2: That's because this isn't yourr abuelles corrido.

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Speaker 1: Rather than romantic tales of revolutionary Mexican heroes and their

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Speaker 1: historical exploits, the new corridos aka narco corridos were tales

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Speaker 1: of drug smuggling, wealth and bloodshed.

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Speaker 2: A little scorsese, a little gangster rap.

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Speaker 1: And alongside the explosion of narco corridos, los digres del

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Speaker 1: Norte would rise to international fame and fortune and become

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Speaker 1: the subject of intense scrutiny in their homeland. That's today,

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Speaker 1: on becoming an icon. I'm your host, Liliana Osca and.

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Speaker 2: I'm Joseph Carrio and this is Becoming an Icon.

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Speaker 1: A weekly podcast where we give you the rundown on

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Speaker 1: how today's most famous Latin V stars have shaped pop culture.

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Speaker 2: And given the world some extra tuble.

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Speaker 1: Sit back and get comfortable.

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Speaker 2: Because we are going in the only way we know

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Speaker 2: how with Buenos Viras, I'm.

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Speaker 1: Buenas Riesas and a lot of opinions as we relive

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Speaker 1: their greatest achievements on our journey to find out what

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Speaker 1: makes them still iconic. On the heels of Contrabando Tracion

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Speaker 1: los Figres Fever Gripped Mexico.

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Speaker 2: Our four farm boys went from playing bars in San

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Speaker 2: Jose to playing on Simpre and Domingo, a Mexican TV

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Speaker 2: show that showcased the biggest stars of.

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Speaker 1: The Momenta Mexican and Sullivan, who you literally have no

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Speaker 1: cultural history when it comes to white things, white people,

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Speaker 1: white music. No, I know You're Latino through and through.

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Speaker 1: The point is everybody watched the show, including my dear Wilita,

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Speaker 1: God Rest her soul. Their family back in Drossa Mourada

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Speaker 1: even turned it on with their mother carrying their new

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Speaker 1: baby brother, Luis in her arms.

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Speaker 2: Contrabandrecon was an instant classic. Los Figoe has even recorded

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Speaker 2: a sequel years later, Jan Contarna Camilia. Because if fans

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Speaker 2: love anything, it's a.

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Speaker 1: Universe, and Las Figura has had one with figures like Camellia,

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Speaker 1: La Tejana and Labanda del Carojo. But while the sensationalism

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Speaker 1: of these characters made waves, the band's staying power came

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Speaker 1: from their deep connection to the people.

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Speaker 2: Links the band's success, to quote the songs that people live,

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Speaker 2: the events that happen every day. So it wasn't all

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Speaker 2: gunfights in gangster gland. They sing about every day hint

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Speaker 2: the strogles too.

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Speaker 1: And especially every day Mexicanos here in the States, because

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Speaker 1: remember those das were undocumented for much of their career,

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Speaker 1: and before their breakout, they were out in the fields.

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Speaker 2: They sang from their own experience, and they sang about

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Speaker 2: what they saw others going through.

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Speaker 1: Just look at La, their song from nineteen eighty four.

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Speaker 1: It's from the pov of an undocumented immigrant reflecting on

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Speaker 1: a decade of life in the United States.

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Speaker 2: He remembers bringing his kids over the border and how

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Speaker 2: sad he is that they can't remember what Mexico was

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Speaker 2: like meanwhile, he can never forget.

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Speaker 1: He can make money in this land, but he can't

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Speaker 1: risk going back to his home without the right papers.

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Speaker 1: He's in a golden cage.

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Speaker 2: Oh nahow la. This was a reality for all whole

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Speaker 2: ass generation of Mexicanos entering the US, and it just

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Speaker 2: so happened to be the biggest generation of Mexican immigrants

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Speaker 2: Grengorlandia had ever seen.

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Speaker 1: Because once upon a time, the US actively sought out

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Speaker 1: Mexican immigrants through the Brasseto Program, an initiative aimed at

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Speaker 1: addressing labor shortages from World War Two.

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Speaker 2: The program lasted until the mid nineteen sixties and brought

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Speaker 2: four point five million Mexican workers into the States. Can

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Speaker 2: you imagine if they did this now? Genuinely I cannot.

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Speaker 2: And this was the biggest influx of documented and undocumented

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Speaker 2: immigrants in history. And they were all staking out new

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Speaker 2: lives in the US while sending money home. And the

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Speaker 2: crazy thing is Los Thedias were right there with them,

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Speaker 2: working to pay for their dad's surgery. But I can

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Speaker 2: see why some people might feel kind of icky about

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Speaker 2: the narco corridos, Like these Gemingos already think we're bringing drugs,

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Speaker 2: But why are you singing songs about it?

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Speaker 1: Not just singing songs about it, but singing songs that

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Speaker 1: glorify it. That is, if you side with the critics.

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Speaker 2: Is that what they said about loss?

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Speaker 1: Well, over the years, Mexican radio stations have actually banned

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Speaker 1: Los Degres songs under the pretense that they promote and

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Speaker 1: glorify Narco culture.

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Speaker 2: The songs being Contrabandorecion, El Gato Felix, lavand Del Vivos.

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Speaker 1: Right, and it's also worth pointing out two of those

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Speaker 1: songs aren't about los narcos. El Gato Felix is about

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Speaker 1: the death of a journalist who turned up the heat

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Speaker 1: on the government, while Vivan los Mojados is a song

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Speaker 1: that honors undocumented migrants. I also have to point out

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Speaker 1: that is a reclamation of an old slur, which I

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Speaker 1: still to this day hate saying.

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Speaker 2: So basically, you're saying that Narco staff was an excuse

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Speaker 2: to censor other ships.

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Speaker 1: Well, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Right, Let's take

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Speaker 1: a look at one of their biggest songs about Narco,

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Speaker 1: El Hefe the Hefes.

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Speaker 2: I love that song.

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Speaker 1: I know you. I was like, you are the heffe

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Speaker 1: the heafes. So the song's narra is Felix Gayardo, the

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Speaker 1: founder of Guadalajara's first cartel. The lyrics if you will, Joseph.

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Speaker 2: I'm the boss of bosses, Senoris. I am respected at

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Speaker 2: all levels. You'll never see my name or my photo

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Speaker 2: in the papers because journalists love me, and if they don't,

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Speaker 2: they lose my friendship.

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Speaker 1: Okay, So friendship here meaning goodwill. So he's basically saying,

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Speaker 1: if you print my name.

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Speaker 2: Then blah blah blah. Okay.

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Speaker 1: He goes on to say that his line of work

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Speaker 1: is cost him and that those who have tried to

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Speaker 1: touch his crown have died doing so.

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Speaker 2: Like I didn't want to do it, but I had

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Speaker 2: to mm hmmm.

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Speaker 1: And out running the government is a game for him,

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Speaker 1: and he grants favors to important people. He's simultaneously the

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Speaker 1: tree that provides them shade and the hot sun that

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Speaker 1: would otherwise bear down on them.

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Speaker 2: I mean that does sound like a cartel boss. It

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Speaker 2: sounds less glam and more accurate. Wait, if people like

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Speaker 2: e heve went after journalists for exposing them, why was

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Speaker 2: it okay for Los cigras to sing about them?

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Speaker 1: Well, Gaiatoga went to prison a long before that song

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Speaker 1: came out. But when Losigas sang about narticles at large,

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Speaker 1: they changed all of the names and details about their subjects.

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Speaker 2: So it was more like if you know, you know,

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Speaker 2: but like everyone knows about the Cartels.

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Speaker 1: No, I mean, the power and influence of Cartel's was

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Speaker 1: not a secret by the time radio stations started to

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Speaker 1: censor Los Figras, and that's something the group stands firm about.

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Speaker 1: Ernan Ernandez the basis said, the public knows that we

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Speaker 1: sing about reality. If there were a revolution, we would

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Speaker 1: sing corrillos about the revolution. It can't cover the sun

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Speaker 1: with your finger. By the way, I'm stealing that quote.

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Speaker 1: Hold on, wait, this is giving some Daddy Yankee flashbacks.

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Speaker 1: They want to shut down.

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Speaker 2: A narco corrillos, just like the government in Puerto Rico

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Speaker 2: wanted a censor and phone.

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Speaker 1: And sometimes they succeed. Radio stations across Mexico entered into

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Speaker 1: quote unquote voluntary agreements, promising not to play the music,

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Speaker 1: sometimes at the behest of the government, sometimes on their own.

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Speaker 2: But lostigs still got huge with or without the airplay.

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Speaker 2: Jorca said in an interview that quote every time they

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Speaker 2: banned a song, it's sold more people like what's prohibited,

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Speaker 2: which is why a case of OG four loco would

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Speaker 2: get you stacks on the dark web.

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Speaker 1: How do you know shit like this, Joseph, what you think?

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Speaker 2: I don't know about the dark web.

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Speaker 1: No, I'm saying, are you buying the locos? Or are

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Speaker 1: you so like that?

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Speaker 2: For to keep the specifics of my Negotio's as the mic,

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Speaker 2: Thank you and please anyway.

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Speaker 1: The censorship of narco corridos continues to this day. Just

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Speaker 1: last year, the state of the Wana banned Narco Corridos

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Speaker 1: from the airwaves in response to the popularity of Corrido

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Speaker 1: to other the artists like Bessel Bluma. Back in the

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Speaker 1: year two thousand, the president of the Society of Writers

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Speaker 1: of Mexico argued, the state governments have made a mistake.

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Speaker 1: They want to sanction the consequence and not the cause.

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Speaker 1: They believe that by banning the sale of CDs in stores,

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Speaker 1: or by not allowing goridos to be heard on the

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Speaker 1: radio and television, they will stop the phenomenon of drug trafficking.

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Speaker 1: The phenomenon is deeper. The gorrido doesn't cause it, It

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Speaker 1: simply reflects it.

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Speaker 2: Boom facts.

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Speaker 1: This is always the conversation happening, which is chicken or egg. Right,

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Speaker 1: It's the simplest way to look at it is that

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Speaker 1: I am not here for glorifying Natical culture. I mean,

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Speaker 1: I can honestly say that I have never watched an

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Speaker 1: entire episode of the show Natkos on Netflix, and people

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Speaker 1: think it's wild that I've never seen it. I'm like,

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Speaker 1: why because I'm Mexican. Oh, I just don't need to

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Speaker 1: watch it because I think what happens is when you

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Speaker 1: put these images into the world, people use it as

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Speaker 1: a stereotype, right, Like we have enough to fight against

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Speaker 1: as Mexicans, I don't need to also be fighting eighteen

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Speaker 1: seasons of narticles on Netflix. Like there's more to an

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Speaker 1: entire country than just this show. So I don't know,

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Speaker 1: I just it's not for me.

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Speaker 2: Well, here's the thing with at least their music, I

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Speaker 2: just kind of feel like they aren't telling you that

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Speaker 2: they want the bitches and hosts. They're giving kind of

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Speaker 2: a point of view. They're just kind of saying what's around,

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Speaker 2: you know what I mean, Like in a situation, they're

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Speaker 2: never saying it's them. They're never saying they are trying

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Speaker 2: to achieve this, so I feel like they're not really

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Speaker 2: like supporting it, like they're just stuck in that situation.

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Speaker 1: Yes, I hear you, and I'm not saying listen, let

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Speaker 1: me be very clear. I am not saying that the

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Speaker 1: music from Las Vegos is creating the same issues that

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Speaker 1: shows like Narcos or Griselda Orrina rel Sur is creating.

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Speaker 1: I am not saying that at all. I think that

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Speaker 1: the music is more of a reflection of what is

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Speaker 1: happening in our culture right, and I think that's not

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Speaker 1: for them to fix. They're artists. They're reflecting what they

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Speaker 1: say back to us.

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Speaker 2: And what makes that cool is that, like, for example,

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Speaker 2: they said they saw something, right, they saw this woman.

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Speaker 2: We're going to say her name is Griselda or whatever

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Speaker 2: her name is, and then all of a sudden people

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Speaker 2: took that and they elaborated it, and then they made

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00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:25,360
Speaker 2: a movie of something Griselda. Yeah, that's how impactful. And

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Speaker 2: they're not talking about themselves or their girlfriend named Griselda.

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Speaker 2: They're saying, we saw this bitch named something, and this

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Speaker 2: is what she was up to, and now people are

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Speaker 2: making movies of it. Like they're just telling you what's

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Speaker 2: going on?

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Speaker 1: Right, and Lastygas can't pick and choose who likes their music.

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Speaker 1: They can't be like, oh, sorry, not goals, don't listen

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Speaker 1: to our albums. You know that they can't do that,

300
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Speaker 1: Like people find your music that like it, and you

301
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Speaker 1: can't control the audience. It's also it's a story as

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Speaker 1: old as time, Like we've been talking about easter eggs. Right,

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Speaker 1: you talk about Taylor Swift's music, we all think that

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Speaker 1: she's talking about John Mayer, she's talking about Travis Kelcey,

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00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:58,800
Speaker 1: or she's talking about Matt Healy, Like you don't actually

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Speaker 1: know who the fuck she's talking about because she's Taylor

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Speaker 1: Swift and the only person that knows what she's talking

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Speaker 1: about is Taylor Swift. So you've got to let artists

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Speaker 1: be to some degree and take creative liberty with their

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Speaker 1: lyrics and their music. And that's what they were doing.

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Speaker 1: If you, as their adoring fans, want to interpret what

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Speaker 1: they're saying, then you can. But if the artist is

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Speaker 1: saying that's not what it's about, it's not what we support,

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Speaker 1: you kind of have to take them at their word,

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00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:23,720
Speaker 1: or if you don't want to, just don't listen to

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00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:29,639
Speaker 1: the music. This is all very complicated and it's often

317
00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:33,680
Speaker 1: used to draw pretty big conclusions and accusations. For example,

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00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:36,040
Speaker 1: that THEGIS music was a tool.

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Speaker 3: For recruiting listeners into cartelss are ulswan record that they've

320
00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:43,760
Speaker 3: never been paid to write a song for a cartel

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Speaker 3: boss or play any private shows for night clost which

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00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:51,160
Speaker 3: listeners should know that is a state.

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Speaker 1: Oh yeah, it's a whole ass thing. I mean, there

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00:17:54,359 --> 00:17:57,760
Speaker 1: are music videos produced by the cartels, but there's also

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Speaker 1: really famous popular music acts that are paid like hundreds

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Speaker 1: of thousands of dollars to perform at Natcal parties. I'm

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00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:09,760
Speaker 1: talking about parties for the cartels, but I'm also talking

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Speaker 1: about their kids keep singing yet as like their kids baptism.

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Speaker 1: I mean, this is the thing, I think one of

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Speaker 1: the most famous rumors, and I'm just going to call

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Speaker 1: it an allegation. It was alleged that Jenny Rivera used

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Speaker 1: to perform for narticles before, of course, her tragic death

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Speaker 1: in that plane crash. So this is the thing that

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Speaker 1: happens all over Mexico. And it's not huge acts. Sometimes

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00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:36,719
Speaker 1: it's smaller acts that maybe we don't know that are

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Speaker 1: more regional. But the cartels are definitely funding a lot

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Speaker 1: of musical performances. It's like when Beyonce went to Dubai

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Speaker 1: to perform for that hotel, like that level of shit.

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Speaker 2: But for all the.

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Speaker 1: Association between those Thetis and narco corridos, eldest at Mano

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Speaker 1: Jorge insists that they don't sing narco corridos.

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Speaker 2: He told PBS quote, we do not worship rug toughers.

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Speaker 2: We do not sing narco corridos. We only sing corridos.

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Speaker 1: Like we heard earlier for Los Figers. Corridos are simply

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00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:11,560
Speaker 1: the truth. When little brother Ed Nunn mentioned singing about

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Speaker 1: a revolution, he was throwing it back to the Mexican

347
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Speaker 1: Revolution because in those days, corridos were a form of journalism.

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Speaker 2: Or x fka Twitter, which ain't perfect. You might get

349
00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:25,560
Speaker 2: some tea that even a tabloid wouldn't touch, but that

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00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:27,879
Speaker 2: doesn't always mean it's for real.

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Speaker 1: Right, There are plenty of narco corridos that have painted

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00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,560
Speaker 1: Los Narracos in a glamorous light, and they still do.

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Speaker 1: But as Lospigers themselves have pointed out, banning their music

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Speaker 1: has only made people more eager to find it and

355
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Speaker 1: listen to it. So all in all you can feel

356
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Speaker 1: for Anhil Gonzalez, the writer of Gondraban Utracion, He must

357
00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:51,080
Speaker 1: have felt as though he let a genie out of

358
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Speaker 1: a bottle.

359
00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:54,680
Speaker 2: Is someone hinting to our next.

360
00:19:54,800 --> 00:20:00,359
Speaker 1: Icon Tranguilo traquilo? Gu We've still got an epina half

361
00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,439
Speaker 1: with our boys, and they're about to hit some major

362
00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:16,719
Speaker 1: bumps in the road, Joseph, have you ever had a

363
00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:19,479
Speaker 1: loved one fall under the spell of somebody they trust?

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00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:23,880
Speaker 2: Girl? My friend Rashida still has a title subscription out

365
00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:25,000
Speaker 2: of loyalty to Quimby.

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Speaker 1: Ugh, that's dire. Can you get her off that?

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Speaker 2: Try?

368
00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:31,560
Speaker 1: Well, what we're about to talk about is a little

369
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Speaker 1: different than making questionable streaming choices. So we've seen how

370
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Speaker 1: Art Walker you mean, you Grant. We've seen how Los

371
00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:45,920
Speaker 1: Manager really did seem to have their interest at heart.

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Speaker 1: Hoda even said he saw him like a surrogate father

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Speaker 1: in the US.

374
00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:52,200
Speaker 2: He told him that they could be bigger and better,

375
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Speaker 2: and he really did help them get there.

376
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Speaker 1: In the seventies, Las Vega's popularity exploded faster than even

377
00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:01,720
Speaker 1: he could imagine. That's why Art was in the market

378
00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:02,520
Speaker 1: for a little help.

379
00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:05,080
Speaker 2: Smart move. If you know how to look for the

380
00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:05,719
Speaker 2: right person.

381
00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:10,520
Speaker 1: Right and unfortunate, Arturo Caminante would walk right into the

382
00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:12,320
Speaker 1: arms of the wrong guy.

383
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Speaker 2: With all the sterious strangers in this story, one of

384
00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:19,160
Speaker 2: them was bound to be a bad one.

385
00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:22,960
Speaker 1: And this is probably the most mysterious stranger of them

386
00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:27,720
Speaker 1: all because we don't even know his name. I know, publicly,

387
00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:31,560
Speaker 1: Los Thegoes have only ever referred to the man as

388
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Speaker 1: El Italiano, the Italian. I mean no disrespect to Italians,

389
00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:41,040
Speaker 1: it's just the only specific detail Lostigias I've ever mentioned

390
00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:41,840
Speaker 1: about this guy.

391
00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:45,719
Speaker 2: It's just like their corridos. They don't name names, but

392
00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:49,120
Speaker 2: they make everything sound cool and western.

393
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Speaker 1: According to Ernan Ernandez, the Italian joined Los Figos' business

394
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Speaker 1: to say it with me now without a contract, fam,

395
00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:04,440
Speaker 1: when are we gonna learn? I mean, Latinos get lawyers.

396
00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:09,600
Speaker 1: Do not be signing fabels without reading. Okay, mom, I'm

397
00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:14,040
Speaker 1: talking to you mom. Hello. Now. This arrangement was strictly

398
00:22:14,119 --> 00:22:17,399
Speaker 1: quote unquote honor system, and the boys could kind of

399
00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:18,840
Speaker 1: tell something wasn't right.

400
00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:22,160
Speaker 2: I bet they wondered why they didn't have more money

401
00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:23,880
Speaker 2: to bring to the telegraph office.

402
00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,280
Speaker 1: And they've never gotten into specifics about what rubbed them

403
00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:31,040
Speaker 1: the wrong way about the Italian, but most agree it

404
00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:34,120
Speaker 1: was money honey. And so after their time with Art

405
00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:38,440
Speaker 1: and the Italian, which included ten albums and several movie appearances,

406
00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:41,399
Speaker 1: the group parted ways with both of them in the

407
00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:42,320
Speaker 1: late seventies.

408
00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:46,480
Speaker 2: And that's a rap for Hugh Grant. Another said goodbye

409
00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:48,639
Speaker 2: for a group that already had to leave their whole

410
00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:51,159
Speaker 2: family behind in Sinaloa, And.

411
00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:53,879
Speaker 1: It turned out to be a pretty messy goodbye because

412
00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:57,320
Speaker 1: the Italian sued Los Digres and claimed ownership of the

413
00:22:57,359 --> 00:22:58,200
Speaker 1: band's name.

414
00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:04,399
Speaker 2: And catalog, movies, got everything else Old West Vibes, chart

415
00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,920
Speaker 2: topping smash hits, and now a court room drama.

416
00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:12,160
Speaker 1: Three years of courtroom drama that's longer than Free Brittany

417
00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:16,679
Speaker 1: and Los Figras countersuit, And in the end, the judge

418
00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:20,440
Speaker 1: ruled in Los Figras's favor, giving Los Figras full ownership

419
00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:24,600
Speaker 1: of their own catalog and total creative control, making eldest

420
00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:26,320
Speaker 1: brother Jorge.

421
00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:32,240
Speaker 2: Eljefe the hef pe Sennors come back in my shade.

422
00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:35,480
Speaker 1: Basking in your shade, by the way, is the highlight

423
00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:39,040
Speaker 1: of my week. Maybe that should be my corrida name

424
00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:42,960
Speaker 1: la sombra. Ooh what are we doing this? Okay, let's

425
00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:47,040
Speaker 1: do corrido names. Okay. So if you're Las Sombra, what

426
00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:47,399
Speaker 1: am I?

427
00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:51,520
Speaker 2: You're La Bigonia because you thrive in my shade.

428
00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:56,680
Speaker 1: Oh my god, Las Sombra Legona bo hold the phone?

429
00:23:57,200 --> 00:23:59,359
Speaker 1: Does one of us kill the other?

430
00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:04,400
Speaker 2: Like Cora? That is a mystery.

431
00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:08,399
Speaker 1: Listeners, Never get into drug smuggling with someone who's only

432
00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:12,720
Speaker 1: in it for the drama. And always read your contracts. Hmm,

433
00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:17,159
Speaker 1: and make sure everyone you work with has a contract. Anyway,

434
00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:20,600
Speaker 1: I'm back to Los Vegas. Portree was now more than

435
00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:23,199
Speaker 1: just the band leader. He was the manager for the

436
00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:26,560
Speaker 1: whole band, but his leadership was about to get tested.

437
00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:38,000
Speaker 1: Los Figoes were on top of the world and had

438
00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:39,280
Speaker 1: no one holding them back.

439
00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:43,199
Speaker 2: They toured across Mexico, the US, and all across Central

440
00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:45,320
Speaker 2: and South America.

441
00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:47,720
Speaker 1: And beginning with the nineteen eighty seven Grammys, I Lospegiras

442
00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:49,280
Speaker 1: became regular nominees.

443
00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:53,560
Speaker 2: Their first Grammy nominated album was Eleotro Mexico, and the

444
00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,359
Speaker 2: opening track is kind of perfect for that.

445
00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:02,919
Speaker 1: It goes no mechan I came here by necessity. It's

446
00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:06,440
Speaker 1: a node to all the Mexicans, from doctors and engineers

447
00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:10,520
Speaker 1: to village elders who came here as Braseros, sending practically

448
00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:12,480
Speaker 1: everything they earned back home.

449
00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:16,840
Speaker 2: Elotro Mexico is the Mexico that Braseros built through blood,

450
00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:20,919
Speaker 2: sweat and tears. The Mexico Los cidre isknew from picking

451
00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:24,720
Speaker 2: tomatoes in Sinaloa and daylighting as gardeners in San Jose

452
00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:27,080
Speaker 2: while playing music, and.

453
00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:30,399
Speaker 1: The following year, nineteen eighty eight, they would win their

454
00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:35,399
Speaker 1: first Grammy for Best Mexican American Performance with Gracias America

455
00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:40,200
Speaker 1: sin Fronterra's Thank You America without Borders. But the eighties

456
00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:43,840
Speaker 1: were not without challenges for Los Fires. Before recording their

457
00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:47,680
Speaker 1: Grammy winning album Lupe Olivio, their sax player would quit

458
00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:49,240
Speaker 1: the band due to health problems.

459
00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:54,200
Speaker 2: Luckily, the band had yet another musical brother to count on, Eduardago,

460
00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:57,360
Speaker 2: born in nineteen sixty four. I feel like there's enough

461
00:25:57,359 --> 00:26:00,560
Speaker 2: brothers in this family to form a cape group.

462
00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:06,760
Speaker 1: They'd be the t Gres like t hyphen Gres.

463
00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:08,760
Speaker 2: I hate you. Okay, see this is why we leave

464
00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:10,040
Speaker 2: K pop to Korea.

465
00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:12,520
Speaker 1: Okay, Damn Las sombratrude to his name.

466
00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:12,920
Speaker 2: Hey.

467
00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:16,240
Speaker 1: Anyway, the new and youngest Data would soon have more

468
00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:20,240
Speaker 1: responsibility than he bargained for. Jore himself fell ill and

469
00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:23,480
Speaker 1: couldn't sing for a year and asked eduardol to take

470
00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:23,880
Speaker 1: the mic.

471
00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:27,160
Speaker 2: So backstage, just as they were about to go on,

472
00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:31,119
Speaker 2: the band asks Luardo to save the day and take

473
00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:31,800
Speaker 2: the mic.

474
00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:35,919
Speaker 1: Well, okay, we don't know that that's how it happened.

475
00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:39,359
Speaker 2: Okay, but it's fun to imagine. Can I bitch imagine.

476
00:26:39,359 --> 00:26:43,240
Speaker 1: Whether or not Eduardo had a Hollywood moment. He did

477
00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:46,040
Speaker 1: bring something new to the band, a yearning voice that

478
00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:50,280
Speaker 1: was perfect for romantic ballads. Case in point, the nineteen

479
00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:55,160
Speaker 1: eighty seven classic La Perta Negra off of Americas in Fronterras.

480
00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:57,720
Speaker 2: I know the song because my grandpa paid the accordion.

481
00:26:57,840 --> 00:26:59,560
Speaker 2: No way, I have one at my house.

482
00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:01,240
Speaker 1: Yeah, do you play the accordion?

483
00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:03,200
Speaker 2: I did when I was little, but I own one

484
00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:04,600
Speaker 2: because he left it to me.

485
00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:06,680
Speaker 1: Oh that's sweet.

486
00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:11,520
Speaker 2: And I would always request this song when I was little.

487
00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:14,840
Speaker 1: Can I tell you that one of my favorite pastimes

488
00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:19,199
Speaker 1: when I'm in like a deep TikTok scroll or an Instagram, Like,

489
00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:24,760
Speaker 1: I literally look at like Mexicans dancing to this fucking song.

490
00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,840
Speaker 1: It is the cutest thing ever because it's always like

491
00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:30,000
Speaker 1: old people, and there's always like a real short Mexican

492
00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:30,680
Speaker 1: guy and then like.

493
00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:32,640
Speaker 2: I just love it so much.

494
00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:36,000
Speaker 1: It's just it's really cute, like Mexicans fucking get down

495
00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:38,480
Speaker 1: to Leveward that Negata and it's always like again it's

496
00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:41,439
Speaker 1: like a short Mexican guy and then like a big

497
00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:42,760
Speaker 1: tall Mexican woman.

498
00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:46,800
Speaker 2: You know what, bitch, Mexicans love forbid in love. They

499
00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:49,320
Speaker 2: just they just love something like you know what I mean,

500
00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:52,400
Speaker 2: They just love it to be so like star Crossed.

501
00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:54,560
Speaker 2: We love the drama, like we live.

502
00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:58,000
Speaker 1: It's really cute because people have all ages danced to

503
00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:00,080
Speaker 1: it and it's just I just love it like they

504
00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:02,080
Speaker 1: like we love love. We love to dance, and it's

505
00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:04,720
Speaker 1: so bouncy and like when you see these guys on

506
00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:06,840
Speaker 1: the street, you like, don't think that they can fucking

507
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,000
Speaker 1: throw down, and then you see them and they hear

508
00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:12,920
Speaker 1: that accordion and they're like fucking usher on roller skates. Okay.

509
00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:14,800
Speaker 2: And you know the crazy thing is that I always

510
00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:17,440
Speaker 2: wanted my grandpa to sing, but he only always played

511
00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:20,840
Speaker 2: the accordion. And I feel like with this song in particular,

512
00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:24,720
Speaker 2: like the voice was so different than anything before. Los

513
00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:27,480
Speaker 2: Digtees like this one was like I don't want to

514
00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:30,840
Speaker 2: say whiny, but it was just kind of like longer, right,

515
00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:32,480
Speaker 2: do you know what I mean? It was a little

516
00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:33,120
Speaker 2: more nasally.

517
00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:35,280
Speaker 1: Oh, I mean totally. I mean you're talking about it.

518
00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:38,200
Speaker 1: It's a completely different singer, right, Like this is the

519
00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:42,400
Speaker 1: water those sound this is his voice, and I think

520
00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:44,840
Speaker 1: since it's kind of his first like he was trying

521
00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:47,680
Speaker 1: to make his mark and kind of put his stamp

522
00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:50,840
Speaker 1: on what the sound of Los Figres would be with

523
00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:51,800
Speaker 1: him at the helm.

524
00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:54,400
Speaker 2: You know what, on the next episode, I'm going to

525
00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:55,360
Speaker 2: bring my accordion.

526
00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:58,440
Speaker 1: I would love nothing more for you to create. You

527
00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:02,760
Speaker 1: need to grace these airways with your accordinator skills. On

528
00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:07,480
Speaker 1: the next Becoming an Icon, a solo by Joseph Garrio.

529
00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:10,960
Speaker 2: It's true.

530
00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:14,400
Speaker 1: So Losvegaas added heartbreak to their repertoire, but a few

531
00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:18,000
Speaker 1: years later, the brothers would experience a different sort of heartbreak.

532
00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:19,720
Speaker 2: I think I know what's coming.

533
00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:23,360
Speaker 1: In the early nineties, just before Los Thegas were set

534
00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:26,200
Speaker 1: to go on stage, they received the news that their father,

535
00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:29,000
Speaker 1: Don Eduardo Ernandez, had passed away.

536
00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:33,120
Speaker 2: Los Degas had done a lot to help their dad's injury,

537
00:29:33,360 --> 00:29:36,440
Speaker 2: but in the end, cancer took his life.

538
00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:41,760
Speaker 1: Heartbroken, the group debated whether they should go on or

539
00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:45,160
Speaker 1: head home to their family. Immediately, over an hour of

540
00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:48,600
Speaker 1: mournful deliberation, they heard the roar of the crowd, unaware

541
00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:50,360
Speaker 1: of the tragedy and demanding they go on.

542
00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:55,160
Speaker 2: Then the news reached the crowd and they went quiet.

543
00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:59,120
Speaker 2: The band heard this show of respect and decided to play.

544
00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:02,200
Speaker 1: They saying with lumps in their throats and tears in

545
00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:05,200
Speaker 1: their eyes. The next day, they headed to San Jose,

546
00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:08,920
Speaker 1: where the family had relocated, to say goodbye to Don Eduardo.

547
00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:11,920
Speaker 2: He was their whole reason for coming to the US.

548
00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:15,760
Speaker 2: Their whole journey started with him, and then he was gone.

549
00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:18,280
Speaker 1: If there's any comfort, it's that they were able to

550
00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:21,160
Speaker 1: take care of him. Their journey wasn't in vain, and

551
00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:23,640
Speaker 1: they even got to bring him to the States. And

552
00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:27,320
Speaker 1: at least the brothers had each other right for a time.

553
00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:29,840
Speaker 1: But a couple of years later, in nineteen ninety five,

554
00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:33,360
Speaker 1: Raoul decided to part ways with the band and go solo.

555
00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:39,840
Speaker 1: The lone He was like the JT of losches, and

556
00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:42,080
Speaker 1: by the way, that is what they called him today.

557
00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:46,280
Speaker 1: Raoul had wanted to record a mariachi banda album featuring

558
00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:48,239
Speaker 1: Sinelo and musicians.

559
00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:50,720
Speaker 2: But the rest of the band wasn't interested.

560
00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:54,400
Speaker 1: We're Nathaniels. They told him that's the kind of music

561
00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:57,680
Speaker 1: they had always played and that they wanted to continue playing.

562
00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:02,880
Speaker 2: So Rool was out. There couldn't be another brother, could there?

563
00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:07,120
Speaker 1: There? Sure is, Joseph. This is like the Partridge Family

564
00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:11,880
Speaker 1: Mexican style. Yeah, okay, and by the way, we've already

565
00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:12,320
Speaker 1: met him.

566
00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:15,400
Speaker 2: Wait what rewind the tape? I totally missed this. I

567
00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:22,760
Speaker 2: think I had an herbal refreshment like something. Anyways, Sorry, Joseph.

568
00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:26,280
Speaker 1: That's all the time we have today, so you and

569
00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:29,280
Speaker 1: all of you will have to wait to listen till

570
00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:34,880
Speaker 1: next week. On the next Becoming an Icon, Youstigre's youngest

571
00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:37,840
Speaker 1: member joins the band, giving us the lineup we know

572
00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:50,640
Speaker 1: and love today. Becoming an Icon is presented by Sonoo

573
00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:55,040
Speaker 1: and Iheart's Michael Guda podcast network. Listen to Becoming an

574
00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:59,440
Speaker 1: Icon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you

575
00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:00,960
Speaker 1: get your I Guiness A book