El Chapo de Sinaloa is the recording moniker of Ernesto Perez, a Mexican singer who specializes in norteno, conjunto, and banda. Hailing from Badiraguato, Sinaloa, El Chapo’s music is inflected with the flavor of the region. After working as a session musician (primarily as a bassist) for various Mexican labels, El Chapo kicked off a solo career in the mid-1990s, recording such albums as 1996’s 13 TONELADAS and 2003’s FANTASIA LOCA. El Chapo’s traditional ranchera style struck a chord with Latin and North American audiences. His 2007 release, TE VA A GUSTAR, topped the Billboard Mexican charts, and received a Grammy Award.
