Peso Pluma launches ‘Génesis’ in a move to cement global stardom

The most trumpeted Mexican singer in recent months, Peso Pluma, on Thursday released Génesis, an album containing 14 songs with which he hopes to cement the global recognition that has seen him surpass artists such as Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny in the music charts in a short period of time. On this album, the singer has once again assembled some of the most iconic figures from the corridos tumbados — the most modern variant of the traditional corridos, which is a subgenre of regional Mexican and urban music — and regular collaborators, like Natanael Cano, Junior H and Gabito Ballesteros.

Peso Pluma has enjoyed explosive popularity in a matter of months. Hassan Kabande — the Mexican singer’s real name — has managed to get several of his collaborative tracks to the top of benchmark listings such as Spotify’s Top 50 Global, with one song as his masterpiece: Ella baila sola (with Eslabón Armado). Génesis follows less than a month after Peso Pluma hammered out a collaboration with Argentina’s Bizarrap, one of the most coveted producers on the urban scene nowadays.

Génesis features a few returning artists in its repertoire, but it also throws in a few surprises. This is the first time that his cousin Tito (Roberto Laija) has appeared on his albums. Tito is the second songwriter on Peso Pluma’s project and the man behind the most popular corridos bélicos tunes and the liveliest songs in the singer’s collection, while Kabande’s lyrics deal more with women and heartbreak. In this album, he joins him on two tracks: Gavilán and La people, which retain the warlike touches of Tito’s lyrics.

The track list opens with Rosa Pastel, featuring Jasiel Núñez. This song was released as a single in April, and heralded the launch of his own record label, Double P Records. However, this is not the only song that was known prior to the release of the album. 77, along with Puerto Rican Eladio Carrión (born in Kansas) was first heard a month ago; and Bye, as a solo act, appeared several days later. Singer Edgar Nuñez also offered a preview of Vvs (which also features Darey Castro) a few weeks ago on Pepe Garza’s program Pepe Office. On that occasion, Nuñez sang the lyrics, but did so without Castro or Peso Pluma.

On this disc, Kabande has once again teamed up with Natanael Cano, the precursor of the corridos tumbados, with a joint track, Carnal. Junior H, another of the subgenre’s leading figures, also makes an appearance. The Guanajuato-born artist participates in two of the songs: Luna and Lady Gaga (which also features Gabito Ballesteros, another household name in the Mexican urban scene).

Génesis comprises 14 songs, although only four are by Peso Pluma as a solo artist, which is a common trend with today’s urban artists, who tend to collaborate with other musicians. Kabande performs on his own on Rubicón, Zapata, Nueva vida (a cover version of the Sucesión M song) and Bye, though he also kicks off with Luis R. Conriquez on Su casa. Conriquez is an old acquaintance of Kabande, with whom he collaborated for the controversial hit Siempre pendientes (2022), which sparked criticism in October last year, during a performance in Culiacán, Sinaloa. During the performance, a huge image of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán was projected. In his interviews, the musician has defended that his team was not responsible for the projection. “They tried to mess me up there,” he told Pepe Garza.

The album was announced unexpectedly about a week ago. Its front cover image resembles that of Dark lane demo tapes, the album by Canadian rapper Drake, one of the most influential figures in the Mexican musician’s career. Just like with Drake, Kabande’s face is covered with a balaclava, revealing only his eyes and part of his nose. Génesis is his fourth album, the first to be released on his own label, Double P Records. In 2020, he released a live record and Ah y que? And, in 2021, Efectos secundarios. All three were released as part of the El cartel de Los Angeles discography.

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