Omar Ruiz

Singer and songwriter Omar Ruiz is best known as a pioneer of provocative narcocorrido. His norteño music comes from deep knowledge of life on both sides of the Mexican border with the United States. He was born in Nogales, Sonora, and moved with his family -- first to Nogales, Arizona, then to Tuscon. During his late teens he moved to Chicago for nearly a year, where he learned to play guitar and write his first songs. It was there that he founded his publishing company, Balta Cervantes, making demos and song videos under the banner of Justicia Divina y El RG Y Su Gente. Wanting to learn to sing and record a proper album, Ruiz relocated to Los Angeles to learn the role of a producer. He independently issued his debut La Ultima Batalla y Las Monitas in 2012. A slew of live albums were issued in 2013, including the underground hit Corridos Anonymous and Corridos Anonymous 2 as well as the mini album La Santita. The song videos from the last date proved immensely popular on YouTube. These recordings established Ruiz's reputation outside the nacrocorrido underground. The first appearance of his hit "El Americano" was on 2014's mini album, Corridos Selectos. Its popularity brought him to the attention of Badsin Records, the label co-owned by Gerardo and Kevin Ortiz. The single "El Quesito" was released in 2015 and landed inside the top 20 on both the Regional Mexican Songs and Hot Latin Songs charts. A followup re-recording of "El Americano" was issued in 2016 and quickly climbed into the upper rungs of five different charts. His debut album Asi Es La Vida appeared in October of 2016, entered the Hot Latin Albums list at number nine. ~ Thom Jurek