Jimmy Humilde
The main promoter of some of the most powerful musical genres of the 21st century, such as narco corridos, corridos verdes and corridos tumbados, is a visionary businessman and producer everyone knows simply as “Jimmy.” He achieved his success with such humility that he was later given the last name “Humilde” (Humble). Before promoting the careers of stars of regional Mexican music, such as Gerardo Ortiz, Natanael Cano or Junior H, producer Jimmy Humilde wanted to be a singer: “My thing has always been music. Since I can remember, I get up and go to bed listening to music and when I realized that I didn't have the voice to sing, I decided to promote it.” Before finishing high school, he told his father that he did not want to continue because all the classes bored him: "The only thing I like is math," he said, "but I can practice that every day." And since then he began to add up his earnings. In 1993, when he was 14 years old, he held a flyer party for DJ G-Minor, when the now-famous DJ was beginning his career in Los Angeles. “I passed out flyers for a house party like the kids do in their houses to my friends. And 400 people came!" Once he discovered his talent, Jimmy decided to promote not only popular music, but also that of his Mexican roots. “In my time, kids my age who were Mexican Americans were ashamed to say that they liked to listen to music in Spanish, or that they knew the corridos of Chalino Sánchez. It was cooler to say that you liked Eazy-E. Well, I liked both of them and that's why I wanted to work with all kinds of music.”
Their flyer parties grew and in the midst of that popularity the opportunity arose in the 2000s to work with the singer Jessie Morales - "El Original de la Sierra." “I started carrying the instruments, fixing the clothes and ended up being the manager. All of that was very good because I learned more about the industry.” After a brief period producing events, Jimmy Humilde met José Becerra with whom he organized a “small party on a ranch” which, to his surprise, was attended by 1,000 people. "That night I knew that I had to go back to my business and that I didn't have to go out looking for music, because it had found me." That is how, together with Becerra (and later Roque Venegas), they formed Rancho Humilde Entertainment. The company dedicated itself to organizing underground parties for up-and-coming artists that, with their support, went on to be huge successes in the United States such as Gerardo Ortiz, El Komander, Alfredo Olivas, Regulo Caro and even La Banda El Recodo.
In 2008 Humilde Records was born, a label that began to launch a series of albums called Lo Mejor De Las Calles and, later, another much more successful series Jimmy Humilde Presents: Lo Mejor De Las Calles, which had guest artists Legado 7, Arsenal Efectivo, Fuerza Regid y Herencia De Patrones. Among the first artists to be signed by his label were groups like Komando Negro, Los Hijos de Barrón and Los Alegres del Barranco, later came Alta Consigna, Herencia de Patrones, Fuerza Regida, El de la Guitarra and Legado 7, among others. In 2019, Jimmy Humilde discovered some videos of a young Mexican named Natanael Cano, who had learned to play the guitar by watching videos on YouTube, and had a completely different sound called corridos tumbados (or trap corridos). Aware of popular taste, the producer decided to bring him to the United States to promote that sound. The result was an explosion of continuous hits that kept Cano on multiple Billboard charts for 21 weeks and won three Premios Juventud within months of its release. Around this time he also signed Junior H, another of the leaders of the trap corridos, who simultaneously released “Cruisin' with Junior H” and “Musica,” debuting respectively at no. 1 and no. 3 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart and no. 10 on the chart. Billboard's Top Latin Albums. In addition, Humilde decided to expand the label's roster that until then had focused on popular corridos, green corridos and trap corridos, and signed his first reggaeton artist, Cuban rapper OVI, who since he dropped his first song has added millions of views on YouTube.
He accomplished all of this by creating new ways of promoting music: “We don't use radio or television to promote our artists; They closed so many doors on us that we better jump over the barrier. I can proudly say that we are the first company in the world to have platinum and gold selling artists without using those means. We have managed to break through with our own way of doing business.”After becoming the definitive world leader of the regional Mexican-urban genre, Jimmy Humilde appeared in magazines such as Forbes, Billboard and other important media. He sums up his endless string of successes this way: “When I was a child I swore to my mother that I was going to buy her a house. I kept this promise and I have given her as much as I can. I know that I have managed to promote new sounds and lead several artists to sell millions, but taking care of my family is, without a doubt, the greatest triumph that God has given me." On October 1, 2020, Jimmy Humilde signed an impressive musical agreement with Warner Music, home to some of the world's most recognized music stars, to collaborate with Atlantic Records in the strategy and development of Natanael Cano, Junior H and OVI. “I've been waiting a long time for this. From the streets of Los Angeles and representing Mexican music.” Around this time, he also announced that he is taking his record label to the next level: “We have already given voice to the people from the poorest neighborhoods, who no one wanted to give a chance. Now is the time for women. We are launching the first urban regional music artist and in the coming months we will dedicate ourselves to discovering more women; 2021 will be their big year.”
Their flyer parties grew and in the midst of that popularity the opportunity arose in the 2000s to work with the singer Jessie Morales - "El Original de la Sierra." “I started carrying the instruments, fixing the clothes and ended up being the manager. All of that was very good because I learned more about the industry.” After a brief period producing events, Jimmy Humilde met José Becerra with whom he organized a “small party on a ranch” which, to his surprise, was attended by 1,000 people. "That night I knew that I had to go back to my business and that I didn't have to go out looking for music, because it had found me." That is how, together with Becerra (and later Roque Venegas), they formed Rancho Humilde Entertainment. The company dedicated itself to organizing underground parties for up-and-coming artists that, with their support, went on to be huge successes in the United States such as Gerardo Ortiz, El Komander, Alfredo Olivas, Regulo Caro and even La Banda El Recodo.
In 2008 Humilde Records was born, a label that began to launch a series of albums called Lo Mejor De Las Calles and, later, another much more successful series Jimmy Humilde Presents: Lo Mejor De Las Calles, which had guest artists Legado 7, Arsenal Efectivo, Fuerza Regid y Herencia De Patrones. Among the first artists to be signed by his label were groups like Komando Negro, Los Hijos de Barrón and Los Alegres del Barranco, later came Alta Consigna, Herencia de Patrones, Fuerza Regida, El de la Guitarra and Legado 7, among others. In 2019, Jimmy Humilde discovered some videos of a young Mexican named Natanael Cano, who had learned to play the guitar by watching videos on YouTube, and had a completely different sound called corridos tumbados (or trap corridos). Aware of popular taste, the producer decided to bring him to the United States to promote that sound. The result was an explosion of continuous hits that kept Cano on multiple Billboard charts for 21 weeks and won three Premios Juventud within months of its release. Around this time he also signed Junior H, another of the leaders of the trap corridos, who simultaneously released “Cruisin' with Junior H” and “Musica,” debuting respectively at no. 1 and no. 3 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart and no. 10 on the chart. Billboard's Top Latin Albums. In addition, Humilde decided to expand the label's roster that until then had focused on popular corridos, green corridos and trap corridos, and signed his first reggaeton artist, Cuban rapper OVI, who since he dropped his first song has added millions of views on YouTube.
He accomplished all of this by creating new ways of promoting music: “We don't use radio or television to promote our artists; They closed so many doors on us that we better jump over the barrier. I can proudly say that we are the first company in the world to have platinum and gold selling artists without using those means. We have managed to break through with our own way of doing business.”After becoming the definitive world leader of the regional Mexican-urban genre, Jimmy Humilde appeared in magazines such as Forbes, Billboard and other important media. He sums up his endless string of successes this way: “When I was a child I swore to my mother that I was going to buy her a house. I kept this promise and I have given her as much as I can. I know that I have managed to promote new sounds and lead several artists to sell millions, but taking care of my family is, without a doubt, the greatest triumph that God has given me." On October 1, 2020, Jimmy Humilde signed an impressive musical agreement with Warner Music, home to some of the world's most recognized music stars, to collaborate with Atlantic Records in the strategy and development of Natanael Cano, Junior H and OVI. “I've been waiting a long time for this. From the streets of Los Angeles and representing Mexican music.” Around this time, he also announced that he is taking his record label to the next level: “We have already given voice to the people from the poorest neighborhoods, who no one wanted to give a chance. Now is the time for women. We are launching the first urban regional music artist and in the coming months we will dedicate ourselves to discovering more women; 2021 will be their big year.”