Ballads For the Bad Guys.

The article discusses the illegal drug business in Mexico and the rising popularity of ballads called narcocorridos that glorify drug lords and their violent ways. The article notes that most narcocorridos are accompanied by a polka beat. Narcocorrido singer Alfredo Rios, also known as El Komander, is profiled. Noarcocorrido singers are said to be paid by drug lords to sing about them and several such singers have been killed in Mexico's drug wars. Because the appeal of narcocorrido music is said to be tied to danger, the article draws parallels between it and 1990s gangsta rap. INSET: Narcocorrido.