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Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist Junior H is among the progenitors of the corrido tumbado (trap corrido) movement. His sound is dominated by requinto and reedy baritone, and traditional corrido instrumentation such as tuba and percussion. After self-releasing the viral video single "No Eh Cambiado" while still in high school, he signed to Rancho Humilde, which issued his debut EP, Atrapado en un Sueño (Trapped in a Dream), along with a pair of full-length projects in 2020. The prolific artist returned in 2021 with the smash hit $ad Boyz 4 Life. In 2022, Junior H released Mi Vida en un Cigarro 2 (which entered the Mexican Regional chart at number one) and rounded out the year with Contingente. 2023 saw the release of numerous hit singles and the high-charting album $AD BOYZ 4 Life II.

Junior H (Antonio Herrera Perez) was born in Guanajuato in central Mexico in 2001. Deeply interested in music from a very young age, he grew up with traditional music and hip-hop on the radio. At 12, he and a friend began writing song lyrics because neither could play an instrument, though he spent time at local studios and learned how to record music. At 15, after three years of learning and practicing the art of music, Junior had to start from scratch when his family moved to Utah. He taught himself to play guitar by watching YouTube videos. The lack of proper training has benefitted the songwriter in developing a truly unique playing style.

He began to issue his own music videos on YouTube and self-recorded a demo album at age 17 titled Mi Vida en un Cigarro. One of its songs, "No Eh Cambiado," went viral given its unique, raw sound. It garnered two million views in its first week and 12 million inside of a year. One of its viewers was Jimmy Humilde, boss of Rancho Humilde Records. He signed Junior to his label, which boasts other urban corrido practitioners Natanael Cano, Dan Sanchez, and Nueva Era on its roster. Junior's first opportunity with the label was participating on Cano's smash Corridos Tumbados long-player in 2019 with his aforementioned labelmates; the album is universally regarded as the manifesto of the urban corrido genre. Junior's audio-only videos for the songs "Disfruto Lo Malo" and "Ella" (with Cano), racked up 18 and 32 million views, respectively.

Rancho Humilde, impressed by the quality of Junior's songs and passionate delivery, put him in the studio to record his debut. Rather than a proper full-length album, he cut Atrapado en un Sueño, comprising seven songs totaling 27 minutes; its final cut, "Si Mañana," was a duet with Cano. Junior's songs about ambition, toxic relationships, street life, and infectious optimism registered with listeners. The set debuted at number five on the Hot Latin Albums chart. In the aftermath of the record's release, Junior issued charting singles for the album track "Mente Positiva," and the non-album single "Psicodelica." A pair of full-length projects, MUSICA <3 and Cruisin' with Junior H, followed, as did a collaborative set with Cano and Ovi called Las 3 Torres, rounding out an impressive 2020. Junior kept up his prolific pace the following year with another full-length, $ad Boyz 4 Life. It peaked at number five and spent most of the year on the chart. That December he previewed an upcoming album with the singles "Nací Para Amarte" and "Empresa Fly Club."

Exactly a year later, in February 2022, the artist followed $ad Boyz 4 Life with the long-player Mi Vida en un Cigarro 2. Produced by Humilde, the massive 21-track offering included collaborations with Eslabón Armado ("Pa' Que Te Duela"), Luis R Conriquez ("Los Botones Azules"), Junior Torres ("El Pelos"), and Compa Steve ("El Pana"). It debuted on the Mexican Regional Albums chart at number one. After Cano, he became the youngest artist to reach that milestone. That November, he delivered another full-length, Contingente, featuring collaborations with Paloma Mami, Snow Tha Product, and OVI. Several tracks arrived in 2023, including "El Patrocinador" with Grupo Firme and "El Azul" with Peso Pluma.

In October 2023, Junior H issued $AD BOYZ 4 LIFE II, a 17-track follow-up to his 2021 set. Perez wrote or co-wrote the lion's share of the album and co-produced it with Jimmy Humilde and Ernesto Fernandez. A week after its release, it entered the Top Latin albums chart at number two and claimed the top spot a week later. ~ Thom Jurek

Mexican singer, songwriter, and guitarist Peso Pluma is a major voice in the corridos tumbados (trap corridos) movement. His early albums, 2020's Ah y Que? and 2021's Efectos Secundarios, introduced fans to his songs, which are full of gritty romance and devastating tales of urban crime. He quickly scored a bevy of regional Mexican and Latin hits, including "Por Las Noches," "Siempre Pendientes" (with Luis R Conriquez), and "AMG" (with Natanael Cano and Gabito Ballesteros). However, it was with 2023's Grammy-winning Genesis that he truly broke through, topping the regional Mexican and Latin Albums charts and hitting the Top Ten of the Billboard 200. That same year, he also released "Ella Baila Sola," a Latin Grammy-nominated collaboration with Eslabon Armado that became one of his most streamed songs.

Born Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija in 1999 in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico, Pluma became a guitarist just after he started school. His nom de musica translates as "featherweight" in Portuguese, a self-referential nickname referring to his tall, slim frame and reedy baritone singing voice. He began writing songs as a young teen and later posted videos to social media, building a large following of fans with music lovers and industry heavyweights alike. He debuted with several self-released albums, including 2020's Discos en Vivo (Vols. 1 & 2), 2020's Ah y Que?, and 2021's Efectos Secundarios. All these albums garnered Pluma buzz, especially for his songwriting style, which is rich in poetic metaphor, gritty romance, complex rhythms, humor, clever rhymes, and tales of urban crime, drug trafficking, and violence. In 2021 and 2022, he issued 14 singles on his own or in collaborations. He registered more than six million streams a month on various platforms and his videos garnered hundreds of millions of views.

While a handful of early singles registered on streaming charts, it was 2021's "Por Las Noches" that got well over a hundred million streams and became his first chart hit. In February 2022, "El Belicon," in collaboration with Raul Vega, topped it. He followed with the Sembrando EP in April and "Sentosa," a true rap corrido with Tornillo, Polo Gonzalez, and Garena Free Fire, in May. It became a West Coast hit. In August, "Siempre Pendientis," a duet with Luis R. Conriquez, racked up more than 300 million streams.

Although Pluma was criticized by the Mexican government and various media outlets for a live set at Mexico's 8 Music Fest that "glorified" drug trafficking and murder, his popularity never waned. He appeared on Conriquez's smash single "El Gavilan" alongside Tony Aquire. His star rose not only for his own compelling, provocative songs, but for his collaborations, too. In November he joined Jaziel Avilez and Codiciado on "Ando Enfocado." Later that month, he joined corrido tumbados inventor Natanael Cano and Gabito Ballesteros on the smash "AMG" that went to number three. His final single of the year was December's "Destiny" with Aleman, a doomy, spooky rap corrido.

Pluma kicked off 2023 in style with January's "PRC" with Cano, a scorching mariachi that wove together cumbia and trap rhythms. Upon its release, industry publications were in awe of Pluma, who had no less than five singles in the Mexican Regional streaming Top 40. He joined Junior H on the single "El Azul" in February and in early March was a featured duet partner with Ovy on the Drums on the psychedelic-tinged trap cumbia "El Hechizo." Pluma's third full-length, Genesis, arrived in January 2023 and featured "PRC," along with cuts like "Rosa Pastel" (with Jasiel Nuñez), "77" (with Eladio Carrión), "Bye," and "Lady Gaga" (with Gabito Ballesteros and Junior H). It reached number three on the Billboard 200 and topped both the Regional Mexican and Latin Albums charts. That April, he paired with Eslabon Armado on the song "Ella Baila Sola," which quickly became the first regional Mexican song to hit the Top Ten of the Hot 100. By the end of the year, the single had become one of his most streamed songs. Along with commercial success, Genesis picked up a Grammy for Best Música Mexicana Album, while "Ella Baila Sola" garnered Latin Grammy nominations for Song of the Year and Best Regional Mexican Song. He also scored several more regional Mexican hits including "Tulum" (with Grupo Frontera) and "Bipolar (with Jasiel Nuñez and Junior H). The two-disc ÉXODO arrived just a year later, featuring a 16-track selection of corridos and an eight-track disc of ventures into trap and reggaeton. ~ Thom Jurek