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BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

PELHAM – As a result of threats against his life, rapper Peso Pluma has postponed his concert at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre.

Peso Pluma, whose real name is Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, is a Mexican musician and singer who heavily draws inspiration from regional Mexican music. He officially debuted in 2020 and has already achieved a great deal of success with a song placing on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023 and is one of the most streamed artists in Mexico.

Pluma is well known for singing traditional Mexican ballads. However, he also specializes in a relatively contemporary take on the ballad known as narcocorridos. Narcocorridos are songs whose lyrics take inspiration from the exploits of drug traffickers. For example, several of Pluma’s songs reference the activities of the infamous drug lord El Chapo.

It appears that some of Pluma’s narcocorridos have inflamed the tempers of Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a group commonly referred to as the second most powerful drug cartel in Mexico and well known for its highly violent tendencies, including cannibalism.

On Tuesday, Sept. 12, before Pluma made his MTV VMAs debut, a menacing banner was hung from a bridge in the border town of Tijuana, Mexico. 

A translation of the banner, signed by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, reads as follows, “This goes to Peso Pluma; refrain from presenting yourself on Oct. 14 because it will be your last show due to your disrespect and loose tongue. You show up and we are going to break you.”

Three other banners bearing the same message are said to have also appeared throughout Tijuana.

Pluma’s songs “El Bélicon” and “Siempre Pendientes” are believed to be dedications to the Jalisco cartel’s main rival, the Sinaloa cartel, though this has never been confirmed. 

Musicians dedicated to the narcocorrido genre have long faced criticism from the Mexican government, which has been attempting to ban the genre since the 1980s due to how it glorifies and memorizes drug traffickers and other members of organized crime.

Dozens of narracardo stars have been killed over the years, both by the rivals of men glorified in their songs and by the drug smugglers themselves.

Shortly after the banners were hung in Tijuana, Pluma postponed many of his upcoming concerts, including the one due at the Oak Mountain Amphitheatre on Sunday, Sept. 17. It is unconfirmed at this time if this is in reaction to the threats against Pluma’s life.

Oak Mountain Amphitheatre has officially announced that Peso Pluma will now preform on Thursday, Nov. 2.