Gabriel and Martiniano Berrelleza, widely recognized among corrido and sierreno audiences as Los Cuates de Sinaloa, have carved out careers whose intensity mirrors the narratives in their own recordings. After receiving their mothers’ benedición, the cousins left their native La Vainilla, Sinaloa, at age fourteen and traveled north in pursuit of musical opportunities. Settling in Phoenix, they received their first guitars and began performing at private community events. Countless appearances at bars and quinceañeras eventually led them to a manager and entry onto the regional touring circuit.
Following five years of road work and multiple independent releases, the duo secured a contract with Sony/BMG in 2006. Their lean acoustic format—two guitars plus electric bass—paired with lyrics that openly addressed political corruption, drug trafficking, and porous U.S. borders, quickly drew attention across the regional Mexican market. The 2006 single “El Carril Numero 3” prompted fellow artists to urge greater caution, coming shortly after the killing of Valentin Elizalde. Despite political scrutiny, Los Cuates de Sinaloa maintained their upward trajectory. Their 2006 album Puro Sierreno Bravo reached number thirteen on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart and number five on the Regional Mexican tally. When the same project appeared the following year, it entered at number eight on the Heatseekers chart and number five on the Mexican Regional Albums list, holding a Top Ten position for several weeks. The Berrelleza cousins described their narcocorridos not as celebrations of drug lords but simply as “the musical news of Sinaloa.” Their second release that year, Los Gallos Mas Caros, also registered inside the Top Ten.
Strong sales prompted an aggressive release schedule: six full-length projects appeared in 2008, among them the new charting set Mi Santito Preferido. Three additional titles arrived in 2009, with Pegando con Tuba landing inside the Top Twenty of the Latin albums chart. Continuous touring solidified a loyal following throughout the United States and Mexico. Although radio play remained limited by lyrical content, online platforms effectively promoted concerts and new material. The Puro Cartel collection surfaced in 2010; the next year Tocando with the Mafia, El Shaka, and Naci Pa’ Matar each reached the Top Forty on the Latin albums chart.
Most of 2013 was devoted to live dates, yet two compilations still appeared on year-end Latin albums lists. El Nuevo Sexenio, issued in 2014, failed to chart, yet touring income remained steady. With the label issuing compilations in the interim, the group took its first extended hiatus since beginning its recording career and did not reenter the studio until late 2015. The advance single “No Eres Sincera,” released in February of the following year, logged eight weeks on Regional Mexican Songs and more than ten weeks on the Latin digital download and streaming charts before the full-length Cartel Mas Fuerte arrived in April.
