Pitbull (rapper)
Pitbull |
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Armando Christian Pérez,[1] better known by his stage name Pitbull, is an American recording artist. His first recorded performance was from the Lil Jon album Kings of Crunk in 2002, after which he released his debut album in 2004 titled M.I.A.M.I. (short for Money Is a Major Issue) under TVT Records. Since then, he has released two other albums under the label, El Mariel in 2006 and The Boatlift in 2007.[2] He is also the host of his own Spanish-language program on the cable channel Mun2 titled La Esquina (Spanish for The Corner).[3]
Life and career
Early life and debut album
Pitbull was born Armando Christian Pérez to Cuban exiles.[1] Pitbull's parents separated when he was young and he was raised by his mother. He was later adopted by a family in Roswell, Georgia.[4] Born of Cuban-American descent,[1] and grew up influenced both by the Cuban poet José Martí, whose works his parents made him memorize, and the Miami bass genre of hip hop music.[citation needed] He began rapping in high school and was inspired by Nas, The Notorious B.I.G. and Big Pun. He met Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew, who encouraged Pitbull to rap battle on radio.[1] He expressed interest in the West coast and East coast genres later in life. In 2002, Pitbull was featured on Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz' album Kings of Crunk and the soundtrack to the film 2 Fast 2 Furious the following year. In addition, Pitbull also released several mixtapes, composed of freestyles and remixes of popular rap music. Former 2 Live Crew leader Luther Campbell featured Pitbull in his single "Lollipop".[2]
In 2004, Pitbull released his debut album M.I.A.M.I., with the lead single being "Culo" ("butt" in English; can be used as "ass" in context) produced by Lil Jon and the Diaz Brothers. It peaked at #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #11 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. Other singles included "Dammit Man", "Back Up", "Toma", and "That's Nasty" (both featuring Lil Jon). He joined the Anger Management Tour, the 2005 hip-hop concert tour headlined by Eminem and 50 Cent.[5] Pitbull also appeared on the Ying Yang Twins' single "Shake", which peaked at #41 on the Hot 100 and #12 on the rap chart, and Twista's "Hit the Floor" (#94 Hot 100, #20 Rap). Remix album Money Is Still a Major Issue was released in November 2005; it included new track "Everybody Get Up", a duet with hip-hop/R&B group Pretty Ricky.
TVT Records, Pitbull's label at the time, and Slip-N-Slide Records disputed over the release of Welcome to the 305, an unreleased album that Pitbull recorded with Slip-N-Slide in 2001.[6] A judge in Miami made a decision allowing Slip-N-Slide to release the album,[7] and a U.S. District Court judge affirmed the decision further.[8] In March 2007, TVT was ordered to pay Slip-N-Slide $9.1 million for blocking the album release.[9]
In January 2006, he guest-starred in UPN's South Beach. Also in 2006, he recorded "Nuestro Himno" in collaboration with Wyclef Jean, Carlos Ponce, and Olga Tañón.[10] On Listennn... the Album, the debut album by Terror Squad member and Miami radio personality DJ Khaled, Pitbull performed on two singles: "Holla At Me" and "Born-n-Raised" alongside other Southern rappers.
2006: El Mariel
El Mariel, Pitbull's second album, was released in October 2006. The title was in reference to the boat that transported Cuban refugees to Florida in the movie Scarface. Along with the usual party-oriented tracks, Pitbull also included politically-themed tracks in El Mariel.[11] The album was released on October 31, 2006, and included singles "Bojangles", "Ay Chico (Lengua Afuera)", "Fuego", and duet with Puerto Rican singer Ken-Y, "Dime (Remix)". El Mariel topped the Billboard independent albums chart[12] and peaked at #17 on the Billboard 200 and #2 on the rap chart.
2007: The Boatlift
Pitbull's third album, titled The Boatlift, was released in November 2007, spawned by the single "Secret Admirer" featuring Lloyd on the chorus. Earlier, Pitbull announced that this album would have a more gangsta rap edge than his earlier albums.[13] Subsequent singles included "Go Girl" featuring Trina, and "The Anthem" featuring and produced Lil Jon, that song sampling the hook from the song "El Africano" by Wilfrido Vargas and the beat from the song "Calabria" by Rune RK. "Go Girl" peaked at #80 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #36 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart; "The Anthem" #36 on the Hot 100 and #11 on the Hot Rap Tracks.
His variety show, Pitbull's La Esquina, debuted May 2007 on the mun2 cable network.[14] On December 21, 2007, Pitbull was arrested for drunk driving; he posted $1,000 on bail and pleaded not guilty.[15] He was later acquitted from the charge.[16] Pitbull also appeared on DJ Laz' "Move Shake Drop" and DJ Felli Fel's "Feel It".
2009: Rebelution
For his latest album Rebelution, Pitbull released singles through Ultra Records: "Krazy" (featuring Lil Jon) and "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" after his former label TVT Records went out of business. "Krazy" peaked at #30 on the Hot 100 and #11 on the Hot Rap Tracks charts. "I Know You Want Me" peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 and peaked within the top ten spots of charts in the UK, Canada, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. He later signed with Polo Grounds Music through Sony Music and created his own label Mr. 305 Inc.[17] Other singles included "Blanco" featuring Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes and "Hotel Room Service", the latter of which peaked at #15 on the Hot 100. On their second collaboration since "Go Girl", Pitbull appeared on the debut single of rapper David Rush (formerly Young Bo$$), "Shooting Star", also with Kevin Rudolf and LMFAO. An amateur video of Pitbull punching a disruptive audience member at a Colorado concert leaked on the Internet in late May 2009. Pitbull explained to MTV News that it was because the fan kept throwing cash around the stage.[18] He has been tapped by the Miami Dolphins to work alongside T-Pain & Jimmy Buffett to release a new fight song for the dolphins.[19]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | RIAA certification[20] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | |||||
| 200[21] | R&B[22] | Rap[23] | |||
| 2004 | M.I.A.M.I.: Money Is a Major Issue
|
14 | 7 | * | Gold |
| 2006 | El Mariel
|
17 | 5 | 2 | — |
| 2007 | The Boatlift
|
50 | 13 | 5 | — |
| 2009 | Rebelution
|
To be released | |||
| "*" denotes chart did not exist | |||||
Compilations
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | ||||
| 200[21] | R&B[22] | Rap[23] | ||
| 2005 | Money Is Still a Major Issue
|
25 | 4 | 2 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | RIAA certification[20] | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US[24] | UK[25] | CAN[25] | FRA[26] | ITA[25] | NLD[27] | |||||||
| Hot 100 | R&B | Rap | Rhyth | |||||||||
| 2004 | "Culo" (feat. Lil Jon) | 32 | 45 | 11 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | M.I.A.M.I. |
| "That's Nasty" (feat. Lil Jon) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Back Up" | — | 86 | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Toma" (feat. Lil Jon) | 108 | 73 | 21 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Dammit Man" | 119 | 58 | — | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005 | "Everybody Get Up" (feat. Pretty Ricky) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Money Is Still a Major Issue |
| 2006 | "Bojangles" | 91 | 89 | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | El Mariel |
| "Ay Chico (Lengua Afuera)" | 92 | 99 | 19 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Dime (Remix)" (feat. Ken-Y) | 116 | — | — | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2007 | "Fuego" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Tell Me" (feat. Frankie J and Ken-Y) | — | — | — | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Secret Admirer" (feat. Lloyd) | — | — | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Boatlift | |
| "The Anthem" (feat. Lil Jon) | 36 | — | 8 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008 | "Go Girl" (feat. Trina & Young Bo$$) | 83 | — | 25 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Sticky Icky" (feat. Jim Jones) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Krazy" (feat. Lil Jon) | 30 | — | 11 | 11 | — | 70 | — | — | — | Gold | Rebelution | |
| 2009 | "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" | 2 | 86 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 2 | ||
| "Hotel Room Service" | 9 | — | 8 | 10 | 181 | 23 | — | — | 58 | |||
As featured performer
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | ||||||
| Hot 100 | R&B | Rap | Pop | |||
| 2005 | "Shake" (Ying Yang Twins feat. Pitbull) | 41 | 37 | 12 | 28 | U.S.A. (United State of Atlanta) |
| "Hit the Floor" (Twista feat. Pitbull) | 94 | 125 | 20 | — | The Day After | |
| 2006 | "Holla at Me" (DJ Khaled feat. Lil Wayne, Paul Wall, Rick Ross, and Pitbull) | 59 | 24 | 15 | 65 | Listennn... the Album |
| "Born-n-Raised" (DJ Khaled feat. Trick Daddy, Rick Ross, and Pitbull) | — | 83 | — | — | ||
| 2008 | "Move Shake Drop" (DJ Laz feat. Flo Rida, Casely, and Pitbull) | 56 | — | — | 42 | Category 6 |
| 2009 | "Feel It" (DJ Felli Fel feat. T-Pain, Sean Paul, Flo Rida, and Pitbull) | — | — | 23 | 90 | Go DJ! |
| "Shooting Star" (David Rush feat. Kevin Rudolf, LMFAO, and Pitbull) | — | — | — | 77 | Feel the Rush Vol. 1 | |
| "Now I'm That Bitch" (Livvi Franc feat. Pitbull) | — | — | — | — | Underground Sunshine | |
References
- ^ a b c d Hoard, Christian (2004-08-25). "Pitbull Unleashed". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
- ^ a b Jeffries, David. Pitbull biography. Allmusic: 2007
- ^ Pitbull's La Esquina on mun2 :: Spictacular!
- ^ Wiltz, Teresa (2004-07-25). "Hustling to the Beat". The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
- ^ "For The Record: Quick News On P. Diddy, Pitbull, Gwen Stefani, Luther Vandross, Backstreet Boys, 311, Disturbed & More". MTV News. 2005-07-05. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ Harris, Chris (2005-08-16). "Labels Fighting Over Music Pitbull Made When He Was A Puppy". MTV News. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Nick And Jessica, Dr. Dre, Green Day, Ashanti, Pitbull, Wyclef Jean & More". MTV News. 2005-10-05. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Britney, Lindsay, Fugees, Ludacris, Dave Chappelle, T.I., Bravery & More". MTV News. 2006-01-31. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Kanye, 'High School Musical,' Angels & Airwaves, Gwen, Diddy, Public Enemy & More". MTV News. 2007-03-19. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ "Spanish Version of 'Star-Spangled Banner' Draws Protests". FoxNews.com. Associated Press. 2006-04-28.
- ^ Rodriguez, Jayson (2006-09-15). "Pitbull Barks About Parties, Politics On October's El Mariel". MTV News. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ "El Mariel > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ Rodriguez, Jayson (2007-04-27). "Lil Jon, Trick Daddy Among Boatload Of Guests On Pitbull's Boatlift". MTV News. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ "Rapper Pitbull's New TV Show 'Pitbull's La Esquina'" (Press release). mun2. 2007-03-21.
- ^ Harris, Chris (2007-12-22). "Pitbull Arrested For Drunk Driving In Miami; Will Plead Not Guilty To Charge". MTV News. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ Samuels, Robert (2009-07-10). "Miami rapper Pitbull acquitted of drunken driving". The Miami Herald. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
- ^ Reid, Shaheem (2009-06-09). "Pitbull Leads A Tour Of His Miami". MTV News. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ Reid, Shaheem (2009-05-27). "Pitbull On Punching Disruptive Fan: 'Natural Instinct Kicked In'". MTV News. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ T-Pain, Pitbull Remake Miami Dolphins Fight Song
- ^ a b "Gold & Platinum - Pitbull". RIAA. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
- ^ a b "Pitbull - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
- ^ a b "Chart History - Pitbull - R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
- ^ a b "Chart History - Pitbull - Rap Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
- ^ "Pitbull > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". allmusic singles charts. 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
- ^ a b c "Pitbull". aCharts.us. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
- ^ "Discographie Pitbull" (in French). Lescharts.com. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
- ^ "Discographie Pitbull". Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
External links
- Official website
- PitbullMusic
- Pitbull at MySpace
- Pitbull interview
- Pitbull feature at Inked Magazine
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