Cartel de Santa

Mexican hardcore rap outfit Cartel de Santa launched their self-titled debut LP in 2003 and steadily built a larger audience through every following record. Rooted in Santa Catarina, the crew had already stockpiled popular tracks such as “Perros” and “Cheka Way” before finally cracking the Mexican Top Ten with the 2010 album Sincopa. Their 2014 effort Golpe Avisa earned multi-platinum status, yet after Viejo Marihuano in 2016 the group slipped into a quieter phase that produced only scattered singles until their 2023 comeback delivered the La Kelly-assisted single “Shorty Party.”

Established in 1996 in Santa Catarina, Nuevo León, Mexico, the lineup originally featured MC Babo (born Eduardo Dávalos de Luna), MC Dharius, producer Rowan Rabia, and DJ Agustín. Working with West Coast rap producer and engineer Jason Roberts, whose credits include Cypress Hill, the group issued their RCA Records debut in 2003. The set contained the singles “Perros,” “Todos Mueren por Mi,” and “La Pelotona,” earning strong praise within Mexico’s rap community at a moment when the scene lacked direction after Control Machete disbanded. The following year brought Cartel de Santa, Vol. 2, whose singles “Blah, Blah, Blah” and “La Llamada” featured guest spots from Julieta Venegas, Tego Calderón, and Ariana Puello. Shortly after the 2006 release of Volumen ProIIIbido and its single “Cheka Wey,” MC Babo served nine months in prison after accidentally shooting a member of his entourage; Sony BMG filled the gap with a 2007 Greatest Hits package. The fourth album, Cartel de Santa, Vol. 4, arrived in 2008, and one of its tracks, “Hay Mamita,” alluded to the earlier incident.

Even as their profile rose through the 2000s, Cartel de Santa did not enter the Mexican albums chart’s Top Ten until Sincopa in 2010, an LP that also earned a Latin Grammy nomination and gold certification. After MC Dharius departed in 2013, the remaining members issued the multi-platinum Golpe Avisa the next year. They continued with 2016’s Viejo Marihuano, which included appearances by Millonario and Santa Estilo. Activity then slowed to an intermittent stream of singles that stretched into the following decade. The 2023 release “Piensa en Mi” signaled their return, followed by “Shorty Party,” the La Kelly collaboration that reached number 20 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart.