Los Tucanes de Tijuana’s ‘La Chona’ is featured on ‘Fortnite Festival’

Y la chona se mueve, al ritmo que los Fortniteros toquen.

Starting Friday, “Fortnite Festival” players across the globe can rock out to the story of la chona as Los Tucanes de Tijuana’s mega hit “La Chona” is the latest track to hit the “Fortnite” universe.

The 1995 song — which has long been a staple on party dance floors — has crossed over into international fame thanks to its prevalence on social media and the overall increased visibility of Latinos. People from within and outside of the culture have embraced the track’s playful nature and undeniably catchy melody—Metallica even got in on the fun with a 2024 live cover of the single at a show in Mexico City.

Like “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band,” “Fortnite Festival” — a spinoff of the popular survival/ battle royale-style online game “Fortnite” — is a rhythm game that requires players to hit notes in-time to properly perform songs as members of a virtual band.

Los Tucanes de Tijuana have long been a staple of the música Mexicana scene on both sides of the border. In 2019, the group became the first norteño band to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and have played massive gigs at Dodger Stadium, New York’s Central Park and Mexico City’s Zócalo Plaza.

The band made headlines in 2010 when it was banned playing in its hometown of Tijuana as a result of a 2008 concert in which the group’s lead singer, Mario Quintero Lara, sent his regards from the stage to the city’s most notorious and wanted men, “El Teo and his compadre, El Muletas.”

“El Teo” refers to Tijuana drug cartel leader Teodoro Garcia Simental, who was captured by authorities in 2012. “El Muletas” — which Spanish for “crutches” — was the nickname of Tijuana cartel leader Raydel Lopez Uriarte, who was captured in Mexico in 2010. The moniker stands for the trail of disabled people Lopez Uriarte left behind as part of his brutal attacks.

The shout-out enraged the city’s then-police chief Julian Leyzaola. He said the band’s polka-driven narcocorrido songs glorified drug lords and their exploits and were, therefore, inappropriate to play in a border city that had long suffered from drug-related violence.

“La Chona” is only the most recent playable song available as part of “Fortnite Festival’s” 11th season, which unlike previous iterations, is made up of songs from several performers rather than having only one featured artist. Other artists featured in the latest season include Jennie from Blackpink, Doja Cat, Simple Plan, Elton John, Fall Out Boy, Tyler the Creator, Slipknot and Olivia Rodrigo. Previous seasons of the game revolved around the music of Billie Eilish, Karol G, Bruno Mars, the Weeknd and Lady Gaga.

The “Fortnite” franchise first dabbled in the world of music in 2019 when DJ Marshmello performed a virtual concert on “Fortnite Battle Royale.” It was estimated that over 10.7 million people tuned in for the concert.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fortnite metaverse became a refuge for artists looking to connect with audiences. Travis Scott performed for over 12.3 million players in April 2020, and Ariana Grande played inside the game in August 2021. Other artists who have rocked the “Fornite” stage are Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Juice Wrld, Metallica and Ice Spice.