Chalino is one of the first and most famous musicians to sing narcocorridos. He wrote stories that resonated with his own background and experiences in Sinaloa. While he rarely mentioned the drug trade directly in his music, listeners still knew the connection and the meaning of the music. Chalino told the stories of men who overcame impossible poverty to survive and develop power, as valientes, and about the reality of dying from the violence in a corrupt system. Chalino was killed in 1992, after being pulled over at a traffic circle by a group of armed men who flashed state police identification cards. Chalino was then blindfolded, tied up and shot in the head twice. No motive was established and no suspects were arrested, though there is little doubt the murder was fueled by the drug trade. Since his death, his fame and recordings have grown in popularity. Chalino still amasses millions of streams near 3 decades after his death, he is still very popular with young Hispanic listeners.
