Icons in the Making: Corridos Tumbados Edition

Welcome back to another Icons in the making, where instead of looking back, we're taking a little look forward.

And it's one of our favorites to be honest.

Yeah, So join us one more time as we peer into the future to talk about a new generation of icons. These icons are all about fancy, fast cars and drinking Don Perignon, Lady.

Gaga and that's rich bitch. I'm your host, Lilianavosca and I'm Joseph Carrio and this is Becoming an Icon.

A weekly podcast where we give you the rundown on how today's most famous latinv stars have shaped pop culture.

And given the world some extra leuble. Sit back and get comfortable.

Because we are going in the only way we know how with Buena's with us, whenasriesas some es, and a lot of opinions, as we relive their greatest achievements on our journey to find out what makes them so iconic.

Okay, Joseph, So, just like we did a few moons ago with the future Queens of Reggaeton, today we're going to take a peek into the future of the ones responsible for making Musika Mexicana affectually known as Gorridosumbus and.

You already know we're not doing this alone.

Hanging we are stronger as three, and one of our favorite journalists is here with us, joining us today on becoming an icon is Thomas Mire, who is a staff writer at Rolling Stone, where he covers some of the biggest names in pop and Latin music and of course all things trending now. Before he worked at Rolling Stone, Thomas was a digital music writer at People and an intern at the La Times and also fact he was also an intern at The Today Show and helped produce

I am so excited to see where he goes.

And Joseph the Moss is on the show with us a few times, right, honey.

He has been here to spill the he and share his music wisdom and to show us the future of Latin music. So we love to have him with us, and he's already pretty much part of the family.

He's basically our third co host, so the mass me welcome back to becoming an icon.

Hey y'all, how y'all doing. I feel like that meme of when they walk into the room and they're.

Like, hey, I.

Keep coming back.

I know, it's like it's you again. We love you.

Right, It's like your brims that like are always at your house and you're like, you don't live here, and they're like, oh.

I don't live here. Yeah, just expect.

Now.

Last time we heard from you, Thomas, I think we were right in the middle of our season and we had been talking about Guanga, Celia, Selina and I think since then we've also covered Christina Aguilera, Mana Vicente Fernandez, Willi, Colonne, and Talia. And you actually told us one of the most moving stories I think I've heard ever on this show about your experience with Digres del Norte.

You actually used.

Their song to create some connection and comfort in coming out to your dad.

Right, Yeah, that's right.

That song brings me back so much joy and thinking about it always makes me super emotional.

I can't really listen to that song without thinking about you and also really thinking about how that isn't obviously it's such an important memory for you, but that's probably a shared experience for a lot of young Latinos like I you know what I mean. I think so many people have found connection through that song, and it's kind of like, I think that's the purpose of songwriting, right, It's like to give people a way to connect outside

But now the landscape has changed.

There's a new generation of icons in the regional Mexicano scene, the ones breaking the charts for their corridos to battles. So what are your thoughts on the regional Mexicano scene the mass You.

Know what, We've talked a lot about this in the industry and among journalists and people within the people that are making the music about changing the word that we use to describe Mexican music, and now there's this term.

Wait, one of the craziest things is that I don't know, Liliana, if you know this or not, but you were at a contract and I was obviously stalking your Instagram and you saw bestl Pluma and I had no idea who that was.

And you were like talking about pestol Ploma like I should.

Have because like we have a podcast about Mesic and I had no idea. But what contract was this that you had seen him? Or why did you see pestl ploma. I just want to remember.

I think it was that he had little bit of like an Amazon Music event.

He was doing a big concert for that first album that he made, and it was a way of like bringing together like this big impact that he had with Ami La Sola, his song with Iso, that was the one that completely took over and kind of propelled the genre to the height that it is right now, for sure.

And really quickly.

We are actually going to get to this later in the episode, right We're going to be talking about.

Fesl, Plumaira and Nada.

But do you think there was a pivotal moment that allowed you know, call it Mexican music or specifically these corridos umbos, Like do you think there was that one moment and was it Besso's moment that really accelerated the pace of the acceptance of this music on a more global scale, Because for me, the answer is yes. Like when I saw him on with Jimmy Fallon, I thought, what in the fuck, Like I've grown up with this music.

No, I think you're definitely right.

I think that moment on on like Late Night Show, it was a Late Night Show history moment, you know, having a Mexican artist on a platform that big, not just performing but doing a full interview, and it was bringing what my parents were listening to in my at the Carnasada, but propelling it to a new generation of listeners that are born in the US like I am, and are listening to music in both Spanish and English, but are still connected to those deep Mexican roots. And

And I think that that's what I'm saying now right, And.

You know it's funny you saying that, because I feel like it's also helping the Leonosabo kids learn Spanish just you know, because they know some words, but they're just getting a little bit more familiar with singing it because the sound is cool, like as opposed to being embarrassed, where you know, someone might have felt like that before because the music wasn't ass popular.

Yeah, no doubt about that.

I mean, I think there's always this kind of you know, when you're first generation, like I am right born here, both my parents not born here.

Yeah, you're kind of like ni that, yimi that yem.

Yeah, No, That's what I'm saying, you know, And sometimes you're like, but am I American?

Or am I Mexican? Can I be both?

And so to have this music Gomas, like you said, that's really derivative of our parents' generation, but first and foremost created for this generation, it feels like we now have something of our own, and I think that's a really beautiful.

Space to exist in.

And I do want to quickly do a Gorrillos bumbados one oh one, because a lot of our listeners like this could be the first time they're really assigning the genre to hearing that music, You're like, well, I've heard it.

I like it, but what exactly is it?

So if you're listening and you're not too familiar with the genre, So these songs come from classic Mexican gorridos, right, which, like Domas was saying, is kind of this like subgenre of regional Mexican music, and gorridos umbados kind of combine the sounds of regional Mexican music with more modern sounds, so things that you might hear in more urban music, whether that's like hip hop or tracked.

Right. And when you look at lyrics right.

Sometimes you see a lot of explicit content in there, not gonna lie, and they do address a lot of like common themes that you used to see present in Mexico and across Mexico, so like violence, life in different types of neighborhoods. There's a lot of references to firearms. Domas and I leave anything out like goes that a good explanation of what it kind of is.

Yeah, I think so.

I think if you think of corridos, the classic corrido, it's storytelling at its finest. It's telling a story about what happened in your pueblo that you want to share with another bueblo. That's how they would get stories across and tell the stories of their communities in Mexico.

And so now we bring that to the.

Twenty first century with the existence of rap and hip hop and also the changing landscape of like nacuoculture in Mexico, and it's now kids singing about their current lifestyles and what they're going through and they're living today. So it's bringing those like that same sort of storytelling but to the twenty first century and with a touch of like personality.

Yeah, because I was going to say, I kind of feel like sometimes the song can feel a little emo like emo, like how Juice World had emo rap totally, Like I kind of feel like they talk about like it's a little more emotional than just like what it used to be the corridos that we heard before, Like these guys are also just kind of like, oh well, I'm kind of going through.

This where it wasn't really like that before.

Yeah, so you'll here, of course, like how Leanna was saying about there being parties and drugs maybe in violence. But there's also a lot of the Emao songs of

H yeah.

I mean that's what I found about it, And I think it's so important that you brought that up, because I do think that storytelling is at the forefront, right, like when you think of the word gorrido, right, Like we're literally running our stories from town to town, and now these kids are using a different medium to tell those stories, right, Like they didn't have TikTok back then. Like now we're sharing this socially, right, We're able to

Like there's horses in the videos.

These guys like Beeso Pluma Nada. That's not how they're dressing. I mean they are in like head to toe designer. They're like cruisin on ATVs in the desert. They have really adopted a very different set of visuals to represent their music. Do you think that's also helped really popularize the genre as well?

I think so.

I mean, I think it's part of that's just part of their lifestyle now. You know, you see kids in Mexico and they're not going to be wearing sombreros and writing horses, you know, like a mixed no. And it goes back to those hip hop influences a lot of the times as well. You think of somebody like Naa Nata who came to the US, or for Satahia that grew up in southern California surrounded by these neighborhoods that

You know Sabo, No question about it.

And I think with this explosion in their popularity, I want to get into them specifically.

You know.

We keep saying the same three names because those are the ones that keep coming up for us, so besl Pluma, Natan and Sara Hida. And as we were producing this episode and writing it, we're like, we need to get themas in here to really fill us in on how they started and most importantly where they're going. Right, we want to know what the future is going to look like for them. So let's kick it off with bessel Pluma. How do you think Besl became the face of this genre the mus.

I mean, that's that's such a loaded question, you know, because it took four or five six bezol Pluma before bezl Pluma for us to get the one that would really propel the genre. And it was in part are very much thanks to a by La Sola, which is actually a Laos song that besil Bluma's featured on, but around the time that that song took off.

Bessel Bluma had another song, lave Bee, which is.

More of a song that he was on love that song that was also taking off, So it just propelled it.

You know, he really blew up and it was top of the charts.

You know, I mean not just top of the charts, you guys, I mean he actually was the most stream artist on Spotify in March twenty twenty three, meaning he surpassed bad Bunny, who was one of I think our opening icon when we started this series. So even though it might have felt, you know, to the Maass's point like overnight, it wasn't. There was a lot of foundational that allowed him to kind of step into this role. Now, what do you know about bessel Pluma's background that might

Well, everybody, if you think of bessel Pluma, you think of his haircut.

Yes, the haircut was an accident, accident.

Yeah, he said before that he got a haircut and it like the guy like walked away or something and he saw he was like, wait, I'm just going to keep it like that, So it wasn't meant to be, and then he kept it and now he's back to this like sexy best of Bluma like that you would never expect. But Besol grew up in Walladajda surrounded by a lot of musical friends. He was in those environments that maybe weren't the safest and that really played a role in the sort of music he started to make.

He's now signed to his label.

And they met really early on when when Bessel was a teenager and maybe had like one YouTube video out, and they quickly built a friendship and have been together through the ups and downs and most recently the ups, you know, of building this career. So I think it's really cool to see how they've built family within the genre and like have used each other to really like grow and propel their careers together.

And Somas where do you see him going? Like, what do you think is the next natural evolution for him as a musician. Do you see him continuing to stay kind of honest and true to this genre or do you think he has aspirations to step out of this.

I think it's a good mix because I think he's always going to be a corrio tumlo artist. He's always going to be making Mexican music. I think he shines sometimes when he steps out of his comfort zone. He has a song with Kayli Uccis or his voice is like it's not on a pop song and I'm like, holy smack, Like why why is my gay radar is like ooh, this is music?

I like, you know what I mean?

Like It's like I can sometime I feel like I would tune into my Mexican radar and then my gay one. When I listened to Kylie wach Is the gay one, and I'm like, here's special coming into that world and it works. It makes sense because Besil has such a distinct voice, but he can play around with it and really do something special.

I love that. I can't wait to see what he does.

Honestly, I mean, I really think even watching interviews, like I remember watching him in an interview when he was a guest with Becky g I think you were at his Coachella set with her, and I remember watching an interview and thinking, Wow, he really needs some media training. Like he could I could tell that fame was really new, right, this was like an unchartered waters for him, and watching him recently, he's really stepping into his own and it's

So share with us a little bit about his background.

We know that he moved to La to start his music career when I think he was just seventeen, But what is his kind of space and what is the territory that he really dominates in this genre?

If you ask pessol Pluma who the king of corios Tomos is, it's natan Cano. He is the person who like baptized this genre as corrio tombalo.

He's the one who created this. So the movement starts with Nata.

Well, actually I would say aria caa macho, who is an artist that came before Natanel Well maybe the godfather who like introduced what would become asquiral toumbabo. But in its essence, Natano is that artist that really created this genre and this space for artists who who live that like in between line between him pop trap and corridos and combine the.

Two super effortlessly.

And he was the first one to collaborate with Bad Bunny really way before we had Mickel Porciento, like before all of that. Really yeah, Bad Bad Bunny believes in not Acano's vision and joined him for a remix because he knew.

This was going to be it.

That's amazing. I had no idea.

I thought that was the first time Bad Bunny had touched, you know, like you said this the genre. I didn't realize that they had collaborated even earlier than that.

Also, not even that, No pressure, how old is this guy? Twenty four?

Yeah, he's a young one, and he's literally called the King, Like okay, he's like, yo, get over here.

But also smart on Bad Bunny, and I also think that this is why we opened our entire Becoming an Icon's podcast with him is because I think his ability to see the future musically and not just see it, but provides support and like a hand to these artists, Like it's one of the loveliest things about him in this business.

So I love, I absolutely love hearing this.

And by the way, Bad Bunny's not the only collaborator that Nata has had.

We're talking Snoop Dogg, Steve Aoki.

I mean, he's really gone across so many different genres and when asked about why he did this, he said, quote, I did those collapse for the culture and for people to know who I am, so that people would understand this Corridos Umbado's movement and that we're on the same level as them.

Boom. I mean we're here for that.

That's it.

That's all he had to say, because it's true, like if you're working with that person, it's because you're you're there.

Absolutely, Domas, how would you describe not that's vibe like his visual vibe totally.

I mean in gate terms, he's a twink. I'm just like ah built man, which I think changes up the aesthetic that you think of when you think of maybe like a strong Corrillo singer.

He's like thin, a little smaller, but he dresses in me.

He's like like Gucci brought up big brand names. So bringing it back to that hip hop culture that I mentioned earlier, and I feel like that's been a really big part of what's propelled this genre.

Right.

I was gonna say, this seems to be like the style like that they're all kind of wearing totally.

It's like the big jewelry, the hoods, the snapbacks. That's been all of it, and that started with this artist. His name is Codisiato. He was in a group called Colisiato, and he's known for being the first Directorona Act to be like I'm gonna wear my street fashion even though I'm making Mexican music. And so it started with Goliato on the looks, and then nothing else can really built that up and continued it with his style and how he looks, and now everyone does it.

It's not even like a question anymore.

No, Like I'm not gonna lie.

I need to actually get some of those outfits because I think I would look super delicious in them.

I think you would look so good in them.

I mean, you guys aren't exactly like the same vibe, but I do feel like you are one of those fashion chameleons who can kind of pull off any look.

I think it's so cool to watch it.

Nothing says modern Life, head to toe, Birdberry, Gucci.

Prontclair says, nowadays nothing says get that new money, honey. Now we cannot continue without talking about Forsa Rehida. Now talk to me about them because they are very much American but so very Mexicano, which is exactly what you were saying earlier. This is music that our parents listened to, but really driven by our experiences as being American first by birth right totally.

I mean that's probably that sign of like like born over here with these Mexican roots, grew up watching YouTube.

These guys have a super interesting story.

So the front man, his name is Jops is what it spells out to, but you call him Jop, that's the street name. And he's somebody who who really like started on the vlockspace on YouTube. So as he was trying to build his band performing at local shows, King Signeta's weddings in San Bernardino County where he's from, he was building up a fan base online through these YouTube flogs and he was able to combine the two and that's how started to become the band that we know today.

Now for sarahid that for me, I think they're this example of like you said, started really small right with can you imagine you like had them play your King Signetta?

Like just as I was literally like also what I love about that we keep talking about all these icons, Like most of their assess was really up in the in the King Signetta as in the local bars, like to be those people that like you you had them at your Kintanneta, Like, yeah, you had.

Them at your King sit two years ago. But now they're signed to Sony Music USA. I mean that's a big leap in a very short.

Amount of time.

The most, how do you find that these labels are expanding their roster in this space? Like do you feel like they're out there looking for these bands playing at Keene says being like who's going to be the new for Sarahida? Or do you feel like they're like, oh, yeah, we're at capacity. We already have enough. Like where do you feel the A and R side and the label side is like are they are they bullish right or are they bearish on this category of music?

Oh?

The record labels are putting the eggs in the Mexican basket. They're getting Mexican chickens, Mexican eggs, and putting them in the Mexican basket. And I say this because you've been seeing it in a lot of really huge label signings over the last few years. My brain goes to the singer Hobby who has this iconic song that was released in the last year called who signed to Innerscope Records in this like really massive deal for a small artist.

And that's I think what they're tapping into now.

And you see a lot of Latino slash Mexican artists who don't necessarily make music in that space now being supported as they pursue music in that space because the labels are understanding, oh, this is real and this is going to be here to stay period.

And to that point, let's talk about el Hefe featuring because there we have somebody, I mean, I think to your point though us right, it's you see somebody like Shakidah who by the way, can make her own music. She doesn't need to collab with anybody, like she stands on her own like she's shocky right. And she also is somebody who I think is a true musician at heart. So when you listen to these corridos like this is real music, right, this is a it's a band, right

Did you love it or did you hate it? The must that's a good question.

I liked it. I don't think I loved it.

I think it was in my opinion, more of of for sa Rahida giving Shakira space within the Mexican music genre to build on that because on this album that Shakida dropped, she also worked with a group of Fromtera, so she was definitely dabbling in the Mexican music space and as opposed to it helping Forsa.

I think it was Shakira coming into a space.

That was new for her and I really enjoy when when artists, and usually the ones to take the risk are female artists.

I will say, so her doing that, I'm all here for it.

I saw my favorite song of hers, definitely not my favorite for Sara Hida song who in the last year have become like these like symbols of like making banger after banger. They also have a song with Marshmallow that's gone really huge that I think really like encapsulates what their whole energy is in the space and how they're building it beyond just Mexican people.

Well, on that note, talk to us a little bit about what you see as the future of Corridos bumbados and how do these three players really fit into that vision.

That's a good question.

So I just did an album review about bessel Pluma's second album, Exolo, and I will say that I feel like I was a little bit harsh on them on.

Him because.

You know what, now that I'm reflecting back you.

Know what's so funny is you know you you're because you guys are listening to Thomas and we're looking at him and he has like the sweetest baby face. He's so kind, he is warm and like just pure like joy and love. But then give that bitch a pen and like he will cut some one.

He is so precise. He is so honest.

And that's what I think it stands out about your writing is that it's really truthful and it's authentic and it's real and you come at it with heart.

So definitely read his article. But tell us now what you.

Said, Thank you. I appreciate that.

No, I stand by what I wrote, and what I said in the X of the review was that I wish Besel had taken the extra step. I could see him trying to combine like different sounds like EDM or electronic music in goridles, but he would just like just

Been infused completely.

But then for Rechi that dropped their most recent album and they penned this term called Jersey Corridos. Not yeah, like it's like it was basically like house music, but with the gorrillo sound and the corrido lyricism, and in my personal opinion, that album did not land at all. But I really really commend for Khida for taking that step and being like, you know what, fuck it, let's just do something completely new and completely different and put it all out there. And they did exactly that that

Genres and also building on.

That foundation that we already have, which I think is already really really strong for sure.

Let's talk about dream collaborations because you have such a wealth of musical knowledge. I had learned so much from you every time you were on the show with us. So I want you to put your like you know, future hat on and think five ten years down the road. Okay, if you could have these artists collab with anybody in the music industry, who would it be and why?

Let's start with Bessel Pluma.

Ooh oh my gosh.

Beessill has already done really big collapse Carol g He's done Kaalie Uccis as I mentioned, But I would have liked to see him with like post Malone or somebody along those lines, because you know how post Malone just did his little country flair.

So I would love to see post Malone.

Step into like a musika meh Khana vibe, and I feel like they would become good friends.

Wow, I love that pairing. Let's make it happen. From your lips to God's ears. Okay, what about nat Don who is on the collab dream list?

For him?

This one's crazy, but one of his biggest songs is called Madonna. I yes, and so I was I could see Natan Nael tapping or madonna'ld be like, who is this guy?

You know, who is this guy? Let me do a collab?

Like because she's cool like that she is exactly So I could see that happening for Nathan I and.

For for who is their dream collab in your eyes?

So when I got to interview Jop, he kept bringing up Little Baby.

He's like, I love little Baby.

Little Baby's an icon, Like that's somebody that I really really admire. So I want to continue manifesting that for him, and I hope he gets that dream collaboration because it's out of the ordinary, but it is fusing that hip hop and Mexican music feel that we were talking about earlier. And I think he'd be down.

I think he'd so, I mean, he'd be dumb not to be down. I think it's what you said.

It's the same thing that the record labels see, right, Like I will say that Latino's generally over index and it comes to consuming content on streaming channels, whether that's your Netflix or Spotify or YouTube. We love it. We love the content content the better. We're also really loyal. So if you follow that money, you're following it to latinos. And if you're really getting specific, like Mexikanos in this country,

We're here for you.

Okay, guys, get out your pens and pencils or just your notes app and your iPhone because this is one of our favorite things to do with the Mass, because this is truly going to change your next playlist.

We like to play a game called sipe Gusta.

So we're gonna give you some really popular songs by some of the three different artists we talked about today, and the MASS is gonna tell us who we would like in that same space. Okay, So sipe Gusta, Tommy and Pamela, it's Beecil Pluma featuring.

Oh my God.

Okay, I did prepare for today's episode the share I will say for that song, I think Keenya Os is somebody that we're just not paying attention to as much as we should.

So best of Pluma.

Tapping her in Mexico she's massive, but in the US she needs to have her moment.

So listen to Os.

But if we're going to choose a different artist. There's also this other cunty girl. Her name is Yerimir right. She's so she's so cute like that, she's very silly, she's hilarious and she makes kind of like those tongue in cheap, tongue in cheek kind of songs.

Her song is yeah, exactly, great answer, I'm writing it down, okay, see Gusta three hundred notes, which is not that I don't off featuring Belinda.

And this one's a classic. And she's been around for a really long time. But her last album was so great. I'm gonna say Dana formerly known as Dana, don't call her more though.

Oh my god, so we can't call her Anna Paula.

No girl.

She she put out the statement that she is gone. It's not just Dana. But her latest album was really really good. The album cover is beautiful. It's like her above these like demon creatures like and the album is called child Star about her experience like going through being a child star and and and all of that. And the album is really really good. That's why I would suggest, especially if you like the Belinda side of that song.

I did the cover of her makeup for El Mexico by the way.

Oh I saw that. Why do you think I mentioned in MoMA there you go.

It looks so good. She looks so good.

She did look absolutely beautiful. You did such an amazing job on that. What she was really really, really nice. She was like singing we were listening to her album. She had just come out with the album at the time.

And they just weren't sure what to do with and this guy had tattoos and so he put the photographer was just kind of like, why don't you put your hand on her face?

It would it look like tattoos? And that was like the shot. And she was just so sweet about everything. She was like in hedgetuble garis or whatever. She's shak She's done it. Get it chic chic shake. Okay. Last I.

Mentioned hav earlier, and while he does have two songs that are massive, I think we're still waiting for him to break with that debut album. So if you're here now, tap into the heavy hype now so when the album comes out, you're ready to just embrace it.

His voice is incredible.

He reminds me of best of Pluma in a lot of ways with the raspiness of his vocals, but he's also a songwriter, and he's one of those artists that I think I'm definitely eyeing for being the next best of Plum.

Did I say that? Oh?

Whoa wait, I.

Just I just wait, hold on, I just I just posted that on Instagra, just tweeted that.

And don't forget I also do.

Yeah, turning my notifications off.

I mean, this is why we love having you here. I feel like you make me infinitely cooler just by listening to what you have to say on what's happening in the industry, what's coming in the industry, who to listen to, why I should listen to them. I really feel like you should have your own podcast. iHeart thank you coming give it to him. He is, let's manifest

Oh my god, well, you know I love to be around town that I'm talking about the Grammy Museum in downtown La tonight. This will probably happen before this episode comes out, but I'm doing an interview with Orville Peck, who is an amazing gay country singer. So I've been doing a lot of these live interviews with musicians and having a conversation about the records, and we might have one pretty cool with another artist that I enjoy, and you both are invited.

Joseph fly Down said.

Don't start, because I will. I'll be there and we'll go to Clube Temple together.

Oh my god, no please. But also before you go, what are where can we find you? Where are your social handles?

Yes, so I'm at Thomas Underscore meed on x and Instagram and at Thomas Meed on TikTok, and then you can read my stories at Rollingstone dot com.

And your only fans. You forgot to leave the lank.

My all is linked in my bio. My venno is at.

I love it well, Thomas. As always, it is such a pleasure talking with you. Thank you for sharing all of your knowledge and your wisdom and your wittingness with us. We are not worthy and we cannot wait to have you back. Have a wonderful day. I can't wait to see you on that stage at the Grammy Museum.

Thank you. I love you, guys. I really appreciate joining the show.

On the next becoming an icon. It's time for the season finale. Join us as we relive the best moments from our second season.

The tea will be typing hot Hanging.

Becoming an Icon is presented by Sonoo and Iheart's Michael Duda podcast Network. Listen to Becoming an Icon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast