New York City has paid tribute to the Mexican regional music band Los Tigres del Norte by naming a street in Brooklyn after them.
Dubbed Los Tigres del Norte Way, the street is located in the Sunset Park neighborhood, an area with a strong Latino and Mexican presence.
“Starting today, a street in Brooklyn carries the name of Los Tigres del Norte. Thank you for walking with us, today and always” the group wrote in an Instagram post Thursday evening, along with a video and photos of the street-naming ceremony.
The event was led by Councilman Lincoln Restler and other local representatives, who highlighted the group’s cultural and social impact for the Latino community in the United States. Upon uncovering the street sign, many attendees chanted “Somos Americanos,” the border anthem that topped the charts two decades ago and turned the group into involuntary spokespersons for the migrant cause.
The tribute took place days before Los Tigres del Norte’s concert in Madison Square Garden on May 24, as part of their international La Lotería Tour 2025, which includes 22 additional dates in the U.S.
This isn’t the first time Los Tigres del Norte have received a public tribute in the U.S. They also have a street named after them in Chicago and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Amid the current cultural debate in Mexico regarding narcocorridos — Mexican regional music ballads that tell stories associated with drug trafficking and organized crime — Los Tigres del Norte have said they will have to change the word “corrido” to “teller of stories” to avoid getting in trouble with authorities.
Corridos and narcocorridos are two different things. While the latter refers to organized crime, the former tells all types of real-life stories including migration, oppression, daily life and politics.
“The stories we sing have a lot to do with the community, with what our people are going through. And they’re very real,” band leader Jorge Hernández told the newspaper El País earlier this month. However, they have removed from their setlist the song “El Jefe de Jefes,” which makes a direct reference to stories of organized crime.
Los Tigres del Norte have been performing since 1968. They’re originally from Rosa Morada, a small community in Sinaloa. The band was founded by brothers Jorge, Hernán, Eduardo and Luis Hernández, and their cousin Oscar Lara.
Throughout their career, they’ve sold over 70 million records and won seven Grammys.
