Sergio Vega “El Shaka”

Sergio Vega “El Shaka” was a popular Mexican norteño artist whose lurid narcocorridos made him a star on both sides of the border. ∙ Vega—whose fearless nature earned him the nickname El Shaka, after the mythical Zulu warrior—got started in music alongside his brothers in a group called Los Hermanos Vegas. ∙ In 1994, he struck out on his own, forming a new group, Los Rayos del Norte—later known as Los Shakas del Norte—who made their first big splash with 2004’s Me Gusta Estar Contigo. ∙ “Dueño de Ti” topped Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart in 2005, and Vega landed four more singles in the Top 10 during the latter half of the 2000s. ∙ Shortly after his death in 2010, Vega’s LP Millonario de Amor reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Albums chart.