Stones Throw Moves To Cut Los Retros Ties After Child Abuse Charges

Stones Throw Records moved to break ties with Los Retros after the musician faced four child abuse-related felony charges, announcing its decision a day before the label’s 30th anniversary festival was due to begin.

The independent label addressed the case Thursday in a statement naming Mauri Tapia, who records as Los Retros. It said it had learned of the allegations the previous day and would keep reviewing the situation as more information emerged.

“In light of this information, we are taking steps to disassociate ourselves from Tapia and his work,” the label said.

Stones Throw did not explain what the separation would mean for its existing Los Retros releases.

The 26-year-old musician was charged October 12 in Ventura County Superior Court with four felony counts of unlawful acts with a child under 10, USA TODAY reported, citing court records. He had not entered a plea.

Los Retros was arrested October 8 and booked into jail the following day, with bail set at $3 million. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office was investigating the case.

Stones Throw also clarified the timing of his canceled festival appearance. The label said it had announced that cancellation before learning about the allegations, separating the earlier booking decision from its latest move to distance itself from the musician.

The festival was set for October 16–18 in Los Angeles’ Highland Park neighborhood. Its lineup brought together artists from across Peanut Butter Wolf’s label history, including J. Rocc, Dâm-Funk, and the members of Lootpack. The current Friday listing no longer included Los Retros.

That relationship had extended beyond distributing records. In a 2019 Ones To Watch interview, Los Retros described working with Peanut Butter Wolf to help choose the six songs for his debut EP, Retrospect. The two considered several tracks before settling on the final release.

His music later became a commercial milestone for the company. In a 2024 interview, Peanut Butter Wolf identified Los Retros alongside Mild High Club as the artists behind Stones Throw’s first gold singles, placing the project among the label’s long-developing successes.

His next court appearance was scheduled for October 22.