Mexican music star Ernesto Barajas has died at the age of 38 after being shot dead in the Mexican state of Jalisco on Tuesday, it has been reported.
According to El Universal, the incident occurred around 1:00 p.m. local time in the Arenales Tapatíos neighborhood of Zapopan, during an armed attack that also left two people injured. The singer was said to be inside a parking lot when two individuals burst in and fired several shots. Barajas died instantly, as did his companion.
Barajas had allegedly been receiving threats from organized crime since 2023, but unofficial information claims the shooting may have been about “settling of scores.” The Jalisco State Prosecutors Office has begun an investigation. Meanwhile, Barajas is survived by his wife Alexis Sillas and their two children.
Enigma Norteño were famous for their “narcocorridos” performances, referring to a music genre accused of celebrating Mexico’s drug traffickers. Narcocorridos are often commissioned by individuals or groups involved in drug trafficking, including cartels.
Enigma Norteño, which has more than four million monthly listeners, has always maintained that its songs speak about Mexican society and do not glorify violence, but they have a track called Los Chapitos, which pays homage to the sons of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, who is serving a life sentence at a Colorado supermax prison.
They are also known for songs such as El Mayito Gordo, Los Lujos del R, Quemándose un Gallito, El Chavo Félix and El Ondeado.
In July 2023, El Financiero reported that Barajas received an alleged threat from Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación on a “narcomanta,” or a cloth banner, which forced him to cancel a show in Rosarito, Baja California.
Some Mexican states enacted a ban on narcocorridos public performances over fears of the music glorifying crime and contributing to violence. Enigma Norteño was affected, while other artists in the genre have seen their visas stripped in the United States. The Trump administration claims that they are glorifying criminal violence.
In May, Barajas told Telemundo, “In my opinion, a song, a corrido, has nothing to do with what is happening in Mexico. About five or six years ago, there was also a wave of zero corridos.
“We once played in Chihuahua, which is one of the strictest states. I remember we made a list and played only songs, literally, and we had to do what other colleagues are doing, which is just playing the accordion and stuff, and they (the audience) were the ones singing.”
On August 14, five days before his death, Barajas shared his final Instagram post, teasing the band’s new song with singer and producer Edgardo Nuñez, Hello Kitty.
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