Mexican music stars and popular couple Peso Pluma and Kenia Os are under fire on social media after the killing of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the powerful head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. El Mencho, one of the world’s most-wanted traffickers, died following a Mexican military operation on Sunday, February 22, reported CNN. According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency, Jalisco New Generation Cartel became one of the “most powerful and ruthless criminal organizations” inside Mexico.
Violence broke out in various states in Mexico after security forces from several federal branches of Mexico’s military carried out the operation in the town of Tapalpa in the western state of Jalisco. According to officials, suspected members of organized crime retaliated, torching buses and businesses while clashing with security forces.
Peso Pluma and Kenia Os under fire
In the aftermath of El Mencho’s death, an X user called out Kenia over a video of her appearing to smoke marijuana. “Now is the right time to cancel all those artists like Kenia Os who encourage young people to do drugs. The influencer appears in a video smoking marijuana,” the post reads. “It’s not just the ones who transport it like “El Mencho,” but also those who consume it.”
“I hope Nodal, Peso Pluma, and all the other narco-corrido singers go down along with El Mencho,” another post read.
“Neton Vega, Luis R Conriquez, Peso Pluma, Fuerza Regida, Natanael Cano on their way to make a narcocorrido about the death of Mencho,” read another post.
A narcocorrido is a subgenre of regional Mexican music, a type of ballad, that narrates stories of drug trafficking, violence, and the lives of drug cartel members. Many popular stars have faced criticism for their lyrics, which often paint cartel leaders as Robin Hood-esque figures.
In 2022, Pluma came under fire for performing in front of a large image of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, in Culiacán. He sang Siempre Pendientes, a song referencing the drug trafficker. However, he later claimed that his team was not responsible, but that the projection was the responsibility of the festival organizers, according to El Pais.
