photo credit: Power 106

Michael Blanco visits The Cruz Show and talks growing up as Griselda Blanco’s son, ‘Cartel Crew’ Show on VH1 details, who named him at birth, and more!

Known as the son of the ‘Cocaine Godmother’ of Colombia, Blanco came through to drop details about his upbringing as a child and how his story is snow being portrayed on the VH1 show ‘Cartel Crew.’ Highlighting the families behind some of the most known cartel members, the new series follows Michael through adulthood showing how his family’s legacy has impacted his life. These second generation narco families depict their lives for the cameras as they deal with the life now.

Most of the generation, the offspring, of that old guard, were raised in the states. We were Pisa-Americanos, Colombian-Americanos, American-Americanos, you know, a lot of us, my family, the Blanco family, was the first family to hit New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. So,, that’s how we spread our wings and we were Latin American.

Michael continues, “Now, this show has a bunch of cast members that are Latin American kids that grew up here [United States]. When you grew up here, seeing what hip hop did, you gotta make a way. So, we’re exposing what we did to survive. How we had to eventually go straight.”

Micahel’s mother Griselda Blanco has been linked to hundreds of murders and was a pioneer in the Miami-based drug trade during the 1950s into the early 2000’s, but to Michael, she was still the woman who birthed and cared for him. Michael is currently working to make his mother’s legacy, as well as his own, as something more than what his family name has been known.

Peep the full interview below and see how Michael Blanco received his name and what Power 106 meant to him growing up.