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Pitbull (rapper)

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Pitbull

Armando Christian Pérez (born January 15, 1981) , better known by his stage name Pitbull, is an international pop star. 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.[1] He then released Rebelution in 2009, which included singles "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" and "Krazy". The latter peaked at #30 on the Hot 100 and #11 on the Hot Rap Tracks charts while "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, Italy, and the Netherlands. The song reached #1 in France and the European Hot 100 on the week ending August 29, 2009 according to Billboard magazine. He later signed with Polo Grounds Music through Sony Music and created his own label Mr. 305 Inc. Other singles from Rebelution included "Blanco" featuring Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes and "Hotel Room Service", the latter of which peaked at #9 on the Hot 100. Rebelution went on to sell over 7.5 million worldwide digital singles and albums combined.[2]

Pérez is also the host of his own Spanish-language program on the cable channel Mun2 titled La Esquina (Spanish for The Corner).[3]

Pitbull has become a brand darling recently representing alongside Drake, Rihanna and Trey Songz the “So Kodak” campaign for the Kodak brand[4] and embarking on a partnership with the soda giant Dr. Pepper as part of the campaign “Vida 23” for which he recorded the song specifically for it that was also featured on his album Armando[5].

Early life

Pérez was born to Cuban immigrant parents who made him recite the works of poet José Martí.[6] He encountered problems early in his career as a rapper because he was blue-eyed and Cuban American.[7] He was also influenced by the Miami bass genre of hip hop music[1] and has cited Celia Cruz and Willy Chirino as sources of inspiration for his music.[8] Pitbull's parents separated when he was young, and he was raised by his mother. He later spent time with a foster family in Roswell, Georgia.[9] He began rapping in high school and was inspired by Nas, The Notorious B.I.G. and Big Pun.[10] At age 16, his mother kicked him out of their house after he became a drug dealer. He then graduated from Miami Coral Park High School and focused his career in rapping.[9] After meeting Irv Gotti,[1] Pitbull met Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew, who encouraged him to rap battle on radio.[10] He expressed interest in the West coast and East coast genres later in life.[1]

Pitbull explained the reason behind choosing his stage name, saying about the dog "they bite to lock. The dog is too stupid to lose. And they're outlawed in Dade County. They're basically everything that I am. It's been a constant fight."[9] After meeting Lil Jon in Miami,[9] Pitbull was featured on Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz' album Kings of Crunk in 2002.[1] Pitbull's song "Oye" was featured on the soundtrack to the film 2 Fast 2 Furious the following year.[9] In addition, Pitbull also released several mixtapes, composed of freestyles and remixes of popular rap music. Campbell featured Pitbull in his single "Lollipop".[1]

Music career

2004–05: M.I.A.M.I.

In 2004, Pitbull released his debut album M.I.A.M.I., with the lead single being "Culo" ("Ass" in English) 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.[11] 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.[12] A judge in Miami made a decision allowing Slip-N-Slide to release the album,[13] and a U.S. District Court judge affirmed the decision further.[14] In March 2007, TVT was ordered to pay Slip-N-Slide $9.1 million for blocking the album release.[15]

2006–08: El Mariel and The Boatlift

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.[16] On Listennn... the Album, the debut album by Terror Squad member and Miami radio personality DJ Khaled, Pitbull performed on three singles: "Holla At Me" and "Born-n-Raised" alongside other Southern based rappers.

El Mariel, Pitbull's second album, was released in October 2006. The title was in reference to the town from which the Cuban refugees came to Florida in the movie Scarface. He dedicated the album to his father, who died that year in May.[7] Along with the usual party-oriented tracks, Pitbull also included politically-themed tracks in El Mariel.[17] 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[18] and peaked at #17 on the Billboard 200 and #2 on the rap chart.

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.[19] 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.[20] On December 21, 2007, Pitbull was arrested for drunk driving; he posted $1,000 on bail and pleaded not guilty.[21] He was later acquitted from the charge.[22] Pitbull also appeared on DJ Laz' "Move Shake Drop" and DJ Felli Fel's "Feel It".

2009–2010: Rebelution and Armando

For his latest album Rebelution, Pitbull released "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" through Ultra Records 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, Italy, and the Netherlands. The song reached #1 in France and the European Hot 100 on the week ending August 29, 2009 according to Billboard magazine. On Dec. 11, 2009, Billboard announced their Year-End Canadian Update, placing "I Know You Want Me" at #7 on the Hot 100 chart and #2 on the CHR/Top 40 chart.[23] He later signed with Polo Grounds Music through Sony Music and created his own label Mr. 305 Inc.[24] Other singles included "Blanco", featuring Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes, and "Hotel Room Service", which samples "Push the Feeling On" and which peaked at #9 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, and after Pitbull pulled him up to the stage, he threw a stash of money right in Pitbull's face.[25] He has been tapped by the Miami Dolphins to work alongside T-Pain & Jimmy Buffett to release a new fight song for the Dolphins.[26] The city of Miami granted Pitbull a "Key to the City" honor on August 19.[27]

In 2010, Pitbull performed the rap section in the Haiti benefit song "Somos El Mundo", a Spanish version of "We Are the World", that included a huge group of Latin artists led by Emilio and Gloria Estefan. He was also a featured guest on "Armada Latina", the fourth single off the album Rise Up by Latin rap legends, Cypress Hill. The song was produced by Jim Jonsin and also features Marc Anthony. Pitbull then collaborated with Alexandra Burke on the single "All Night Long". He was also featured on "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" by Usher.

Pitbull also released his full-length debut Spanish-language album titled Armando on November 2, 2010. Pitbull is also one of the most nominated artists of the upcoming Latin Billboard awards[28]. He garnered 7 nominations for “Latin Rhythm Airplay, Song of the Year” for “Bon, Bon”; “Latin Rhythm Airplay, Artist of the Year, Solo Artist”; “Latin Rhythm Albums, Album of the Year” for Armando; “Latin Rhythm Albums, Artist of the Year, Solo Artist”; “Social 50, Latin Artist of the Year”; “Latin Digital Download of the Year” for “Bon, Bon” and “Hot Latin Song of the Year, Vocal Event” for the song “I Like It” alongside Enrique Iglesias. He also won Telehit’s award for “Most Popular Artist”[29].

2011–present: Planet Pit

Presently, Pitbull is readying the release of his highly anticipated follow up English album, Planet Pit, on which numerous collaborations are expected. The album is expected to be released in June 14, 2011[30]. Pitbull collaborated with T-Pain on its first single, "Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor)". Pitbull recently announced he’s the spokesperson for Voli Vodka of which he holds a majority equity stake.[31] Pitbull has also collaborated with now American Idol judge Jennifer Lopez on her single "On the Floor". On March 22, 2011 Pitbull released his second single off of Planet Pit, "Give Me Everything" featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer.

Discography

Main article: Pitbull discography

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Jeffries, David. "Pitbull – Biography". allmusic. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
  2. ^ "Pitbull's Rebelution Sold Over 7.5 million Worldwide Digital Singles and Albums Combined".
  3. ^ Edelhauser, Kristin (2007-09-25). "Viva Entrepreneurship". The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  4. ^ "Wall Street Journal: Kodak Refocuses To Address Younger, Hipper Audience".
  5. ^ "Pitbull at Club 23 Vida 23 with Melissa Hernandez".
  6. ^ Balmaseda, Liz (February 9, 2003). "A new breed". The Miami Herald. Archived from the original on July 24, 2003.
  7. ^ a b Faber, Judy (2006-09-27). "Pitbull Sinks His Teeth Into New Album". CBS News. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  8. ^ Herrera, Jr., Reynaldo (2009-05-01). "Pitbull Exclusive Interview". Open Your Eyes Magazine. Retrieved 2009-12-26. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ a b c d e Wiltz, Teresa (2004-07-25). "Hustling to the Beat". The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  10. ^ a b Hoard, Christian (2004-08-25). "Pitbull Unleashed". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ Harris, Chris (2005-08-16). "Labels Fighting Over Music Pitbull Made When He Was A Puppy". MTV News. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ "Spanish Version of 'Star-Spangled Banner' Draws Protests". FoxNews.com. Associated Press. 2006-04-28.
  17. ^ Rodriguez, Jayson (2006-09-15). "Pitbull Barks About Parties, Politics On October's El Mariel". MTV News. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  18. ^ "El Mariel > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  19. ^ Rodriguez, Jayson (2007-04-27). "Lil Jon, Trick Daddy Among Boatload Of Guests On Pitbull's Boatlift". MTV News. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  20. ^ "Rapper Pitbull's New TV Show 'Pitbull's La Esquina'" (Press release). mun2. 2007-03-21.
  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.
  22. ^ "Miami rapper Pitbull acquitted of DUI". Associated Press. July 10, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  23. ^ "Billboard Year-End Canadian Update" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  24. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2009-06-09). "Pitbull Leads A Tour Of His Miami". MTV News. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  25. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2009-05-27). "Pitbull On Punching Disruptive Fan: 'Natural Instinct Kicked In'". MTV News. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  26. ^ T-Pain, Pitbull Remake Miami Dolphins Fight Song
  27. ^ "Change the Locks! Pitbull Gets Keys to Miami". WTVJ. August 20, 2009. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  28. ^ "CONGRATULATIONS! PITBULL Nominated for a Billboard Music Award".
  29. ^ "New Photos Of Pitbull and Vein at Premio Lo Nuestro!".
  30. ^ "Release Date for PITBULL's "PLANET PIT" Album Announced".
  31. ^ "Pitbull Lands Equity Stake In Voli Vodka".

See also

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