LEGADO 7

Legado 7 is a norteño group from Orange County, California, best known for their "lumbre corridos" (fire corridos), a direct reference to their favorite song subject: marijuana. Their debut album, 2016's 100% Corridos Verde, was released independently, followed a few months later by the live En Vivo Desde OK Corral. They signed with corridos tumbao (trap corridos) label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rancho+Humilde%22">Rancho Humilde</a> in 2017 and released Un Chamaco Sin Futuro. 2018's 17-track Para Lumbre included collaborations with <a href="spotify:artist:0ys2OFYzWYB5hRDLCsBqxt">Fuerza Regida</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2MMXs21RASEwAmU7gRheQ0">Arsenal Efectivo</a>, among others. El Seven de la Suerte appeared in 2019 to rave reviews internationally, while the following year's Duetos Con La Clika EP was comprised entirely of collaborations. They also released the eight-track 4-20-20, that included the single "Soy Lo Que Soy" featuring <a href="spotify:artist:0ys2OFYzWYB5hRDLCsBqxt">Regida</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0elWFr7TW8piilVRYJUe4P">Natanael Cano</a>. The following year they returned with the 11-track L.A. Lumbre. It included the singles "Reyes Magos" (feat. <a href="spotify:artist:1Q6SZxTvaE3HhslV0iXbI6">Herencia de Patrones</a> and JOP) and "El Jeffrey" with <a href="spotify:artist:4aWhlVjiUjYHpVWBPP8AFc">Grupo Codiciado</a>.

Founded in 2014 by songwriter and lead vocalist <a href="spotify:artist:2Q85MPAxSokTyk6nT1fAM8">Alexander Guerra</a> and accordionist Ramón Ruiz from the ashes of earlier individual projects, they recruited three other musicians and began writing songs about weed. Despite their preoccupation with the drug, they can hardly be called a narcocorrido outfit. They sing about various strains of marijuana, the changing nature of the business around it as more states legalize pot, and the party lifestyle. They do not write about cartels or particular outlaws.

Legado 7 are regarded by hardcore norteño fans as the first "stoner corrido" outfit. Their popularity reaches outside the insular community of norteño aficionados to Southern California's Rastafarian community as well. Despite their chosen subject matter, Legado 7 is well-versed in the entire corrido and ranchera tradition; their repertoire is so abundant, it can easily accommodate performing at weddings and family picnics. The band's debut offering, 100% Corridos Verde, was independently issued in 2016, appropriately enough on April 20 ("420" is the police code for pot). They toured the southwest and played everywhere from county fairs to nightclubs and frat houses. In 2017 -- also on April 20 -- they issued their follow-up album, Un Chamaco Sin Futuro, on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rancho+Humilde+Records%22">Rancho Humilde Records</a> (home to <a href="spotify:artist:0DjAjUeZwSixK0dRwplBXb">Alta Consigna</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:32YGQsNtuwyobFFnn8ikpe">Los Hijos de Barron</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4aWhlVjiUjYHpVWBPP8AFc">Grupo Codiciado</a>, et. al). A year later, they returned with Pura Lumbre (<a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rancho+Humilde%22">Rancho Humilde</a>), which hit number six on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart, and just a few months later issued the live En Vivo Con Tololoche.

The band returned to the studio in January and cut the 13-track El 7 De La Suerte, which appeared in April (during the same calendar week as 4/20) and reached the Top Ten on Latin streaming charts across the spectrum. The video for single "El Chilly Willy" registered more than eight million views during its first month of release. In February of 2021, Legado 7 switched up their game plan by issuing the seven-track EP Duetos Con La Clika; it included duets with <a href="spotify:artist:0elWFr7TW8piilVRYJUe4P">Natanael Cano</a> ("Bien Tumbado"), <a href="spotify:artist:3Aw1WaC6Xm8cOOppvXcnfa">Los Hijos de Garcia</a> ("La Querian Facil"), and <a href="spotify:artist:7Gi6gjaWy3DxyilpF1a8Is">Junior H</a> on the charting single and video for "Ojos de Maniaco." In April they issued an eight-track EP, appropriately titled 4-20-20. Its lone collaboration was the single "Soy Lo Que Soy" featuring <a href="spotify:artist:0ys2OFYzWYB5hRDLCsBqxt">Fuerza Regida</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0elWFr7TW8piilVRYJUe4P">Natanael Cano</a>. In April 2021, Legado 7 returned with the full-length L.A. Lumbre. Its lead single and video for "El Reyes Magos" featured contributions from <a href="spotify:artist:1Q6SZxTvaE3HhslV0iXbI6">Herencia de Patrones</a> and JOP; its video racked up more than 300,000 views during its release week. The set's second single and video for "El Jeffrey" (feat. <a href="spotify:artist:4aWhlVjiUjYHpVWBPP8AFc">Grupo Codiciado</a>) registered inside the Top Ten on Mexican Regional streaming charts, while its video attained more than 600,000 views in its first week. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi