Pitbull (rapper)

This article is about the rapper. For other uses, see Pitbull (disambiguation).

Pitbull
Headshot of a bearded Pitbull with sunglasses
Pitbull in 2023
Born
Armando Christian Pérez

(1981-01-15) January 15, 1981 (age 43)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Other names
  • Mr. 305
  • Mr. Worldwide
EducationMiami Coral Park High School
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • businessman
  • actor
Years active2000–present
WorksDiscography
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
Labels
Websitepitbullmusic.com

Armando Christian Pérez (born January 15, 1981), better known by his stage name Pitbull (also known as Mr. 305 and Mr. Worldwide), is an American rapper, singer and actor. He began his career in the early 2000s as a reggaeton, Latin hip hop, and crunk performer, and signed with TVT Records to release his debut studio album, M.I.A.M.I. (2004). Executive produced by Lil Jon, it moderately entered the Billboard 200 along with his second and third albums, El Mariel (2006) and The Boatlift (2007).[4] His fourth album, Pitbull Starring in Rebelution (2009), yielded his mainstream breakthrough, spawning the singles "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" and "Hotel Room Service"—which peaked at numbers two and eight on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, respectively.

After rebranding himself as a pop artist, Pitbull's sixth and seventh albums, Planet Pit (2011) and Global Warming (2012) were both met with continued commercial success; the former spawned his first Billboard Hot 100-number one single "Give Me Everything" (featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer), while the latter spawned the top ten hit "Feel This Moment" (featuring Christina Aguilera).[5] His 2013 single, "Timber" (featuring Kesha), became his second song to peak the chart, and did so in 18 other countries. His 2014 single, "Time of Our Lives" (with Ne-Yo), peaked within the chart's top ten and led his eighth album, Globalization (2014). That same year, he performed the song "We Are One (Ole Ola)" (with Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte), which served as the official theme of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Meanwhile, Pitbull made numerous guest appearances on a number of hit songs, including the Billboard Hot 100-top four singles "I Like It" by Enrique Iglesias, "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love" by Usher, and "On the Floor" by Jennifer Lopez.

His subsequent albums, Dale (2015) and Climate Change (2017), trailed commercially. His eleventh album and first independent release, Libertad 548 (2019) focused on Latin hip hop and was led by the singles "No Lo Trates" (with Daddy Yankee and Natti Natasha) and "Me Quedaré Contigo" (featuring Ne-Yo). His twelfth album, Trackhouse (2023) delved further into Latin influences.

Pitbull has sold over 25 million studio albums and over 100 million singles worldwide. He has over 15 billion views on YouTube as of May 2020.[6] He was ranked by Billboard as the 45th Top Artist of the 2010s and the 24th Top Latin Artist of the 2010s.[7][8] Pitbull's other ventures include brand ambassadorship and for various entities, activism and philanthropy in Latino American communities, a radio station—Pitbull's Globalization—on Sirius XM Radio, and ownership of the Trackhouse Racing NASCAR team.[9] As of May 2019, Pitbull has won 35 Billboard Latin Music Awards.[10][11]

  1. ^ a b Taylor, Patrick (November 20, 2007). "Feature for November 20, 2007 - Pitbull's "The Boatlift"". RapReviews. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  2. ^ a b David, Jeffries. "Pitbull Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
  3. ^ "Pitbull Drops Powerful New Anthem and Donates All Proceeds Against Coronavirus Effort". April 13, 2020. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  4. ^ Jeffries, David. "Pitbull – Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  5. ^ "Pitbull artist profile via ThoutCo". ThoutCo. 2018. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  6. ^ Songwriters Hall of Fame (2017). "Armando Christian Pérez – Global Ambassador Award". songhall.org. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  7. ^ Billboard (December 30, 2019). "Top Artists of the 2010s". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  8. ^ Billboard (December 30, 2019). "Top Latin Artists of the 2010s". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  9. ^ Cantor-Navas, Judy (January 23, 2014). "Pitbull's 'We Are One (Ole, Ola)' Featuring Jennifer Lopez, Claudia Leitte Named FIFA'S Official World Cup Song". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  10. ^ "How Pitbull Went from Miami Street Rapper to Global Brand Ambassador". Vanity Fair. July 11, 2016. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  11. ^ "'Short Steps, Long Vision': An Interview With Pitbull". NPR. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2019.