The 'drug ballads' popular in California

While cartels make parts of Mexico dangerous, their cultural impact is felt over the border in southern California

Narco-corridos, or "drug ballads" narrative songs where singers tell of imagined or real-life drug war stories.

While the songs brag about murder or other violent exploits, some who study narco-corridos say the music not unlike the gangster rap of the 1990s - reflecting violence that already exists.

Video by Matt Danzico