Peso Pluma Breaks Down ‘Éxodo’ Songs, and How Ric Flair Inspired ‘Ice’

variety.com:

Thania Garcia In his new album “Éxodo,” Peso Pluma reflects on his life before and after skyrocketing to fame. The young Mexican-American Grammy winner is boastful about leading música Mexicana‘s inflated global reach, but he also grapples with that responsibility, unleashing darker subject material ( “I live a fast-paced lifestyle / The life of an artist / Drugs and women,” he sings in “Hollywood”) than in “Génesis,” his 2023 Billboard chart-topping debut. “Its very different — ‘Éxodo’ from ‘Génesis’ — I think I reached some maturity in my vocals and from everyday and every artist that I collaborate with,” Peso told Variety in a video interview. “I learn something new from all of them and I try to grab those little things and bring them to my music.” Peso recruited a long list of collaborators for “Éxodo” from all parts of the genre landscape — he’s got Quavo rapping in Spanish on “Pa No Pensar,” and Cardi B spitting verses on a trumpet-led beat on “Put Em in the Fridge” and plenty of Mexican all-stars, including Kenia Os and Natanael Cano. “‘Hollywood’ was written by [featured artist] Estevan Plazola, who I’ve known since we were 18 years old and he just signed to my label,” Peso said. “The lyrics talk about our reality.

How our lives went through this process — getting famous, getting money, getting [what we’ve wanted] since we were kids and how we look at that now.” To bring it all together, Peso worked with producer Ernesto Fernandez, a 2023 Variety Hitmaker honoree, who also produced much of the material on his debut LP.

Experimentation between the pair on that LP helped to solidify the first half of “Éxodo,” which is entirely comprised of the Mexican corrido music that helped establish Peso’s career.