While selling his cassettes out of his car trunk, Chalino stocked tapes at local swapmeets, bakeries, and various other businesses across South Central Los Angeles. Chalino connected with another Mexican immigrant, Pedro Rivera, who had set up a small recording studio in Long Beach, California. Called Cintas Acuario, this studio allowed aspiring musicians to record for cheap.Ĭhalino and Rivera pioneered the 'prohibited corridos' (corrido prohibido), songs that mythologized drug smugglers, murderers or 'valientes'.