Omar Banos, also known as Cuco, has been on tour since Sept. 10, called the “Ridin’ Tour.” Cuco’s theme of the tour was more Los Angeles Chicano style, changing the sound of his music to more of a souldies genre which embraces the elements of 1950s-1970s soul music that is associated with romantic Chicano culture of Southern California.
Cuco has been inspiring many, not only through his music but through his advocacy. There has been a powerful impact on Hispanic identity and culture. His recent shift toward a souldies inspired sound shows how artists can use cultural roots from the past to influence the present, celebrating tradition while moving music forward. Cuco has been vocal about issues affecting the Hispanic community on his social media platforms. In a recent FOX 5 interview, he said, “Shout out to us for being first-gen and doing it,” and he has openly advocated for immigrants, even loudly condemning Immigration Customs Enforcement on his platforms.
Serena Hernandez, a child development major from Fresno City College appreciates Cuco’s vocal advocacy.
“I follow Cuco on instagram and he’s constantly posting ‘fuck ICE’ and advocating it’s nice to see artist speaking out on there platform you don’t always see that cause usually people don’t unless it affects them,” Hernandez said.
Cuco is a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and producer from Hawthorne, California. Cuco is a son to immigrant parents from Puebla and his father is from Mexico City. They immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s, met in California, and later had Cuco in 1998 which has shaped his music style and identity.
Many college students relate to him also coming from immigrant parents, being first generation and second generation seeking success. Cuco is not just entertainment, his music represents falling in love, embracing identity and finding pride in their heritage while chasing success in a society that doesn’t always see them.
Christina Munoz, a student environmental major from Fresno City College, has received deep emotional impact through Cuco’s music.
“It makes me proud to be Chicano. He really puts on a show,” Munoz said. “Cuco really makes an impact on many Chicano and first gen students, I went to the Cuco tour in Sacramento and you can really feel the culture and how proud he is to be Chicano.”
Cuco has come a long way in his journey, starting off on YouTube in 2016 by doing a “Sleep Walking” cover using a slide guitar that he had posted anonymously. He then blew up overnight on X, formerly Twitter, going on to release hits like “Lover Is a Day” and “Amor de Siempre.” Using dreamy sounding music and intertwining English and Spanish, he never forgets his roots.
In 2017, Cuco started to even make a bigger name for himself with the song “Lo Que Siento,” a dreamy romantic bilingual track with the blend of English and Spanish lyrics, followed with lo-fi beats, indie-pop melodies and touches of traditional Latin sounds using the trumpet.
Cuco had many elements to this tour as well, following the styles of an old-school Chicano look, mixing culture like the Virgin Mary or Guadalupe into his record cover and even performing a cover of the hit “lllorar” by Los Socios del Ritmo. Some of Cuco’s tour was successfully sold out in Oakland, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, El Paso, and both Phoenix shows.
Cuco’s rise also represents a huge shift in the music industry, where Latino artists are no longer confined to one category but are influencing mainstream music globally. From playing local backyard shows to touring internationally, Cuco’s journey embodies the spirit of persistence, creativity and community support.
