Genres: Rap/Hip Hop,Latin,Soundtracks,Soul/R&B,Electronica/DanceHe moved to Georgia he started rapping when he was in School. Pitbull has often said that Notorious BIG and Nas have been his biggest influences. Things turned back when his mother discovered that he was selling drugs at age 16 and he was thrown out of home.
Pitbull – Spanish Rapper With MIAMI Roots
Early Life
He was born in Miami in 1981, he always wanted to pursue a career in music right from his early days. But as a white rapper from Cuban roots posed a bit of an issue to rap mainstream success.
He moved to Georgia he started rapping when he was in School. Pitbull has often said that Notorious BIG and Nas have been his biggest influences. Things turned back when his mother discovered that he was selling drugs at age 16 and he was thrown out of home.
His musical journey began when he did a freestyle rap for Lil Jon who was impressed and asked Pitbull to collaborate for an album titled “King of Crunk”. This exposure led to single being released on the 2 Fast 2 Furious soundtrack.
Breaking Through
In 2004, after careful production and a focus on songwriting, Pitbull released his first album on TVT records called “M.I.A.M.I – Money is a major Issues”. The album featured contributions from Lil Jon who had given Pitbull his first starts. The uniqueness of the album was that it featured Latin based rap delivered in the Gangsta style. The album peaked at No. 14 on the US Billboard charts which was an impressive debut for Pitbull
He was roped in to perform on major rap tours in the US and the media was taking notice of a new white rapper who was setting the stage alive. After a few collaborations which included working with DJ Khaled and Wycleaf Jean, he started recording his follow-up album.
The Cuban Roots
In 2006, the album titled “El Mariel” which is a reference to the name of the boat which brought Cuban refugees into Miami from the iconic Scarface movie was a huge critical hit. Commercially the album failed in comparison to his debut. Yet it still is a unique album and has sold almost 200,000 copies in the US
He quickly moved back into the studio to release his third studio in 1997 and his last for the TVT record label titled “the Boatlift”. The single “Go Girl” featured RnB singer Trina. The album received mixed to poor reviews. Many thought that Pitbull was moving away from his roots into more commercial territory.
Rebel-Rapper
TVT records went bankrupt and Pitbull was looking for a new record deal. He signed up with Ultra Records. The album was a hit and it reached No.8 on the US album charts. The album reached Gold status in Canada. In 2009 a viral video appeared on the Internet which showed Pitbull hitting an audience member.
Pitbull is currently going to release a new album in May 2010.
Did You Know: Pitbull was the opening act for Eminem’s Anger Management Tour.
Did You Know: Pitbull has been given the Key to the City honor in Miami in Aug 09
Did You Know: Pitbull has been asked by the Miami Dolphins a NFL American Football team to record a support song for the Dolphins