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Rancho Humilde is going Hollywood.
The record label — headed by CEO Jimmy Humilde — announced Tuesday that it is collaborating with Sony Pictures and Sony Music Latin to release the feature film “Clika.” The movie, directed by Michael Greene, tells the story of a musician fighting to carry on his family’s legacy. It is slated for an Aug. 5 theatrical release through Columbia Pictures (a subsidiary of Sony).
The film will star Herencia de Patrones frontman Jay Dee, whose group released its debut album “Pa Las Vibras” under the Rancho Humilde label in 2019. Jay Dee’s fellow cast mates for the production include seasoned actor Eric Roberts and rapper OhGeesy, alongside Cristian Gutierrez, Laura Lopez, Nana Ponceleon and Uziel Pantoja.
Started by Jimmy Humilde and two friends, Rancho Humilde emerged as the home of Mexican folk songs imbued with the hustler ethos of American gangster rap and trap.
“This film paves the way for a whole new era of opportunity and representation for Mexican-American creators in Hollywood,” Humilde said in a statement shared by Billboard. “We’ve been grinding in the background, but now we’re stepping into the spotlight, ready to show the world what we’re really about.”
President of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group Sanford Panitch praised Humilde’s previous works in the same statement, saying, “Jimmy is a visionary producer whose groundbreaking approach has reshaped the sound of Mexican music.” He added, “Now, his significant contributions in the world of music open the door for new voices, new kinds of stories, and new movie stars.”
Rancho Humilde Records, headquartered in Downey, has become a trailblazer in Latin music by giving traditional Mexican corridos a hip-hop makeover.
In 2011, Humilde and his friends, José “JB” Becerra and Roque “Rocky” Venegas formally established the Rancho Humilde music label. The company was crafted around the mission of evolving the regional Mexican music tradition for a younger, more bicultural generation of fans.
The label champions artists whose heritage is not just reflected in corridos, the gritty Mexican folk ballads that narrate the inner lives of hustlers, immigrants or ordinary people trying to survive, but also in the sounds and styles of their favorite rappers from the United States. The resulting blend is described as “corridos tumbados,” or “trap corridos.” The booming company most notably is the home of the mega group Fuerza Regida and international star Natanael Cano. The label has also worked with other major artists such as Bad Bunny, Snoop Dogg, and Steve Aoki.
“We are building a culture — the way we talk, the way we dress, the way we sing — and it’s cool, ” Humilde told The Times last year of his label’s overwhelming success.
De Los assistant editor Suzy Exposito contributed to this report.
Since 2015, Fuerza Regida has been one of the hardest-working acts in música Mexicana. With “Pero No Te Enamores,” the band’s eighth studio album, it’s evolving the genre.
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