Peso Pluma: Paving the Way for a New Generation.
By: Alan Espinoza
The music industry is always changing, whether it be a new artist, group or even genre, fans always have something to look forward to. In recent years, one genre has seen change in a way it had never done so before, this being the Mexican music genre. It’s remarkable momentum is due in large part to the new wave of artists that have reshaped the sound and musical heritage of the country. Among these artists, there’s one that stands out above the rest, that being Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija better known by fans as Peso Pluma or La Doble P. His blend of traditional and contemporary influence has earned him a noticeable spot in the global charts and has redefined how the Mexican genre is perceived abroad.
Peso’s musical journey represents a large cultural shift in how Mexican music has evolved from its early days, transitioning from the local genres that mainly appealed to domestic and Latin American audiences to a now more modern sound that resonates with more global audiences. His music, although rooted in traditional regional sounds such as corridos and norteno, also incorporates elements of hip-hop, rap and sometimes trap beats. “One of the most notable things all artists in this genre are doing is taking sounds from mainstream genres and finding a way to use them in their music in order to appeal with the younger generation” states Sebastian Ultreras who was exposed to this type of music at an early age and continues to listen to it, “I think the reason Mexican music failed to make it into the global spotlight for so long is because the music didn’t resonate with the audience, the songs from our grandparents and parents generations all related to what was going on in that era. To us, the sounds and lyrics held no meaning and sometimes felt outdated”. Peso’s music is a huge indicator of those statements, his music has a more rap-like flow with heavy instrumentation in which the brass instruments are more prominent as opposed to the traditional accordion and guitar sound that was used by older artists. The hybridization of those traditional sounds and mainstream genres has provided not just Peso but many artists in the genre with fresh sounds that have appealed with the younger generations in both Mexico and around the globe.
Peso is part of a much bigger trend that is known as corridos tumbados or trap corridos in English, this subgenre blends the narrative and guitar-based style of corridos with more modern urban-style influences. Artists such as Junior H, Luis R. Conriquez and the originator of the subgenre Natanael Cano have all played a huge role in helping popularize the movement, but the reason Peso stands out is because of his ability to combine lyrical authenticity with an appealing sound.
The premise of every corrido tumbado song revolves around themes of social inequality, violence and living on the margins which makes them relatable to those who enjoy the unfiltered nature of the lyrics. Peso’s music sticks to those themes but it also shows trends of more personal storytelling which helps add emotional complexity and depth to his songs. The themes explored in these songs is a shift from earlier corridos which told stories about larger-than-life characters such as Narcos or revolutionaries to more grounded and relatable narratives. This differentiation is not the most prominent. The biggest and most important difference is one that has played a massive role in helping get Mexican music to the position where it is today and something that the older generations failed to do, collaborations.
Peso and every important artist in the genre today are very open to the idea of collaborating with artists no matter the genre. In fact, it was the collaboration between Eslabon Armando and Peso Pluma that changed the landscape of Mexican music forever and catapulted Peso into the figure he is today. “I truly believe that the release of ‘Ella Baila Sola’ was the turning point for the genre because it allowed for our music to be heard by people all over the world” stated Ultreras. ‘Ella Baila Sola’ released on Mar. 17, 2023, and gained traction after going viral on TikTok. It remains as the biggest hit for both Eslabon and Peso garnering just short of 1.3 billion streams on Spotify. The song became the first ever Mexican single to reach the Billboard Global 200 where it remained for 6 weeks, adding on to that achievement it scored a top 10 entry on the Billboard Hot 100, it became the first regional Mexican tune to achieve the feat in the chart’s 65-year-old history, peaking at number four.
The success of the collaboration brought even more attention towards the genre with artists from different genres wanting to dip their toes into this new wave of Mexican music. Some of the more notable collaborations include Fuerza Regida with Marshmello, Peso Pluma with Karol G and Grupo Frontera with Bad Bunny who also saw huge success with their collaboration on ‘Un X100to’ which would place at the number five spot on the Billboard Hot 100 only a couple days after ‘Ella Baila Sola’ hit the number four spot. These collaborations helped Mexican music reach heights that many believed it would never be able to. When asked about his thoughts in the rise of Mexican music, Ultreras had this to say, “What I find most impressive is that the genre reached these levels in only a year, I always thought that the music would remain in the same position it was in, regional, but thanks to this new generation of artists we can now refer to it as just Mexican music because it is no longer regional, it is global”.
Not only did these collaborations give the global spotlight for Mexican music but it also opened up new opportunities for artists to delve into different genres which Peso Pluma took a huge advantage of. Peso’s debut album Genesis was made up of songs consistent with the corridos tumbados genre and had 12 different collaborations. The album was a success as it became the highest-ever debut from a Mexican artist on the Billboard 200 album chart peaking at the number three spot. Following the success of the album, Peso had to find a way to appeal to a broader audience, which he did in his second studio album, Exodo. Peso has always been very vocal about his musical influences outside of Mexico, many of which come from the rap scene. Having attended high school in Texas he was exposed to artists such as Shoreline Mafia, Jay-Z, and 21 Savage. The artist decided to pay tribute in a way to these influences by adding a second disc to his album which included collaborations with Rich the Kid, Cardi B, Quavo and DJ Snake showing that he isn’t afraid to experiment with his music.
But why do fans of the genre make a big deal out of these collaborations, well it's because they have never seen anything like it before. As opposed to other genres, it was rare to see collaborations of this caliber within the Mexican music genre, if anything it would be artists of the same genre collaborating but even then, it was rare for artists to collaborate at all. The older generation of artists saw each other as mainly competition rather than colleagues which sometimes led to problems between artists. Because of this, they put more care into the numbers rather than the music itself, if an artist released a song that was doing well another would do the same in order to beat them out. It was this hostility towards each other that made it difficult for artists to collaborate with one another hence why the genre remained stagnant for so long. If the new generation has shown us anything it’s that working with others and stepping outside of your comfort zone can help achieve something that is bigger than yourself.
Peso Pluma’s rise in the music industry is a true testament to the evolving nature of Mexican music. Earlier generations of artists were beloved for their perseverance of the country's traditional sounds, but the artists of today’s world are redefining what it means to be a Mexican artist in the global era by experimenting with sounds and their openness to collaborate across genres. This new wave of Mexican artists has brought Mexican music to new heights by introducing it to global audiences in a way that was unimaginable years ago. Peso Pluma is at the forefront of this new movement and his success is an indicator of a bright future for Mexican music.
In his closing statement Ultreras had this to say, “Look at everything that was achieved in just one year, if the artists can continue to build on that success, I can see the Mexican music genre reaching the heights of pop, rap, and country.