(NewsNation) — Mexican-American music group Fuerza Regida, scheduled to perform in Tijuana, Mexico on Friday, canceled their show following threats from alleged members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
A "narcomanta," a written warning on a cloth or billboard, appeared in the city on Monday, bearing the signature of the criminal group.
One of the lines on the banner read, "Perform and we will kill you. Fuerza Regida did not want to do it the easy way."
The music group announced their cancellation on Instagram. The cancellation follows Mexican singer Peso Pluma's cancellation of his Oct. 14 concert due to threats from the same cartel.
During a one-on-one interview with Tijuana Mayor Monserrat Caballero, she appeared to place responsibility on the artist, citing what she referred to as "narco lyrics." She highlighted that artists like Shakira and Daddy Yankee have previously performed in Tijuana without any problems.
"An artist like Peso Pluma affects the city. Why? Because he sings violent rhetoric," Caballero said. "He was not threatened because the city is violent. Partly, yes. But that artist sings to one cartel and another one gets angry and sends threats. The problem is that those artists should not sing about that, neither in Mexico nor the United States."
Caballero declined to attribute blame to law enforcement for failing to protect music artists and instead focused on the artists themselves due to their lyrics.
Both concerts were expected to attract thousands of American fans. Some perceive the mayor's response as an indication that drug cartels hold significant influence in Tijuana.