Lalo the Giant
After a five-year hiatus outside the United States due to the revocation of his visa for a misdemeanor crime of marijuana possession, Codiciado has made a surprising comeback. The Tijuana artist, who was banned from entering just as his career was beginning to ascend, did not let this setback slow down his momentum. He had already co-founded Grupo Codiciado in 2015 and had quickly gained recognition in the music scene with eight full-length albums, from If I say it is because I can from 2016, until Roll of Honor 2022, through Rancho Humilde.
Undaunted by the challenges, Codiciado used this period to reinvent himself. He split from Grupo Codiciado to pursue a solo career, a move catalyzed by both reflection and the encouragement of his fans. “When we made the decision to split up, I really wanted to stop, I didn’t want to make music because I was with the idea that we were a group and that people knew me through the group,” he tells Spanish Billboard. “But the people who were with me at that moment encouraged me to say that this did not end there, that it was just a step, a setback. We had to continue.”
This new adventure culminated in his 2023 debut solo album, Blows of Life, which delved into his personal and professional experiences. Instead of stagnating, the separation from the American public strengthened her resolve, setting the stage for a triumphant return.
Codicado’s re-entry into the US market was highlighted by a successful five-date tour with sold-out venues and record attendance, particularly at Hard Rock Live in Sacramento. “That makes me very happy and excited,” he says. The success of the tour not only reaffirmed his artistic presence, but also prompted him to schedule an extended second leg of his Ando Enfocado Tour. This new leg includes 14 additional dates, beginning on September 27 in Brooklyn, New York and concluding in Reno, Nevada on October 26.
But before that, he will also be touring Mexico and performing at RUMBAZO 2024, a Latin music festival that in its third edition is being held in partnership with Billboard. Headlined by Nicky Jam and Luis R. Conriquez, the event will take place on September 13 and 14 in Las Vegas and will also feature the participation of Arcángel.
Meanwhile, Coveted has also been making the rounds on the charts. Billboardwith two tracks on Hot Latin Songs and one on Regional Mexican Airplay. Recent hits like “Gabachas,” featuring Joaquín Medina and Sheeno, secured him his first top 10 entry on Latin Pop Airplay, where it reached No. 9 in June. “It was just a studio session,” he says of the creative process behind this collaboration. “We got together in Los Angeles and spent four or five hours hammering out the beat, the lyrics and the melodies, until the result was there.”
His musical influences and the roots of his passion for Mexican music were shaped by his environment and personal experiences in Tijuana. “What I learned at home, and I fell in love with music on the streets of Tijuana, also listening to the corridos,” she explains. He cites Los Tucanes de Tijuana as a major influence, and mentions that she was 14 when he wrote his first song. “It was a corrido that I made for a… I mean, I didn’t know about cartels at that time, just what I heard on the street, but it was a corrido for someone from over there in Sinaloa.”
Regarding his stage name, Codiciado adds: “I told my former colleagues that we had to live up to the name, that it had to be successful so that we would really be coveted, that it would cost you some money to have it or that it would be less accessible like any other local group.”
Style-wise — as an artist who could be mistaken for a rapper, but also with a fashion sense one might associate with Natanael Cano and the new wave of corridos — Codiciado was also ahead of the curve, wearing streetwear before it was a thing in new Mexican music.
“I had several disagreements with colleagues older than me. They thought I was doing it to displace or emigrate. Many took it as an offense, saying, ‘No, man, we are the same, and you with hats and tennis shoes, and we with hats and boots,’ “he recalls. “But I did it because I come from Tijuana. Although my parents are from Sinaloa, my culture is more urban. In fact, later, when Nata went on the market, when several children came out, everyone was already trying to have that image. It was a very big change for the genre.”
Beyond his musical career, Codiciado has remained committed to giving back to the community. His collaboration with The UFW Foundation, started by activist César Chávez, underscores his dedication. “We as a society have to be a little more noble and empathize more with people who don’t have anything,” says the artist. “It is always good to contribute a grain of sand. Even the same people who are in the fields or working on the streets have feelings, and many times they share what they have. So, I always try to encourage others to do it. If you have 100 pesos, distribute 10, 20, nothing happens. I try to have those approaches, not just with the countryside, but with children, with families, with homes.”
Full name: Erick de Jesus Aragon Alcantar
Age: 31 years
Recommended song: “We are clarifying many things”
Greatest achievement: “My children. One is four years old and the other is 10.”
What’s coming: “The second part of my Ando Enfocado tour. [Primero] We are planning the Mexico tour. The next album is called Don’t Try It At Home, Vol. 2because when I was with Grupo Codiciado I did Do not try this at home. That album contained war corridos. I try to sing for all sides, we don’t stick to just one side.”
