El 90 Lyrics in English by Los Nuevos Ilegales
Rajamos comes from the verb rajarse, which literally means "to tear" or "to crack". However, in Mexican slang, it commonly means "to back down", "to chicken out", or "to give up".
In the context of this corrido, the lyrics state, "Seguimos firmes con el tío y no nos rajamos" (We remain firm with our uncle and we don't back down). This highlights a strong sense of loyalty and resilience, emphasizing that they will not surrender or betray their commitment, which is a common theme in this genre.
"El 90" is Los Nuevos Ilegales in full corrido mode: whiskey, cigarettes, a banda on call, and a narrator who never lets his guard down. He opens with "Con un whiskito y un cigarrito" ["With a little whiskey and a little cigarette"], setting up a party the song keeps circling back to, but almost every verse after that turns serious. He's already survived an attack, "Varios balazos los que por mi cuerpo entraron" ["Several bullets are the ones that went into my body"], and he still keeps his friends saddled and ready, because in this world nobody gets to relax for long.
The real center of the song is the wait for someone he calls "el jefe." He misses "Chapito Lomas" by name and counts down to seeing him again: "Se acerca el día que otra vez vuelva mirarlo" ["The day that I see him again is getting closer"]. The song never says where the boss went or why, and it doesn't need to for anyone who already knows this genre. What's left is loyalty: keep working, stay firm, don't back down, and by the closing lines the narrator is back on familiar ground, moving easily through Culiacán while he waits.
