ABSTRACT

Music provides unique opportunities to interrogate difficult issues including narcoviolence. Scholarly and media representations of those working for Mexican organised criminal groups are often one-dimensional, and fail to engage fully with their human experience. Drawing on music-focused ethnographic research, I argue in this article that subjects who participate in organised crime are made grievable and human through the portraits that commissioned rappers empathetically create of them. I explore how narco rap songs portray organised criminals as brave, respectable, able to cope with emotional trauma and attain redemption, while effacing physical suffering and guilt. I interrogate how commissioned rappers read and empathise with their clients, create appropriate songs, and negotiate the moral dissonances this work creates, particularly when religious figures are invoked. I conclude that the human complexity of those working for organised criminal groups and their ethical struggles must be engaged with if we are to propose action on drug trafficking and related activities.

摘要

音乐提供了独特的机会来审问包括毒品暴力在内的难题。为墨西哥有组织犯罪集团工作的人的学术和媒体报道通常是一维的，无法充分融入他们的人类经历。借鉴以音乐为重点的民族志研究，我在这篇文章中认为，通过委托说唱歌手同情地创作的肖像，参与有组织犯罪的主体变得悲伤和人性化。我探索了 narco 说唱歌曲如何将有组织的罪犯描绘成勇敢、受人尊敬、能够应对情感创伤并获得救赎，同时消除身体上的痛苦和内疚。我询问受委托的说唱歌手如何阅读和同情他们的客户，创作合适的歌曲，并协商这项工作造成的道德不和谐，尤其是在引用宗教人物时。我的结论是，如果我们要提议对贩毒和相关活动采取行动，就必须涉及为有组织犯罪集团工作的人的复杂性及其道德斗争。