Armando Christian Pérez Acosta (born January 15, 1981) is a Cuban-American rapper, commonly referred to as Pitbull.
He emerged from the South Florida rap scene to become an international pop superstar. He is one of the most successful Latin musicians in the world.
early life
Pitbull was born in Miami, Florida. His parents are from Cuba. They separated when Armando was a child and he grew up with his mother. Also spent some time with a foster family in Georgia. Armando attended high school in Miami where he worked to develop his rap skills.
Armando Perez chose the stage name Pitbull because dogs are constant fighters. They are "too stupid to lose." After graduating high school, Pitbull met Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew and signed a contract with Luke Records in 2001.
He also met Lil Jon, an up-and-coming crunk artist. Pitbull appears on Lil Jon's 2002 album Kings of Crunk on the track "Pitbulls Cuban Rideout."
Hip-hop success artist Pitbull
Pitbull's 2004 debut album, MIAMI, was released on TVT Records. It featured the single "Culo". The single reached the Top 40 on the US pop chart. The album reached the Top 15 on the album chart. In 2005, Sean Combs invited Pitbull to help create Bad Boy Latino, a subsidiary of Bad Boy Records.
The next two albums, 2006's El Mariel and 2007's The Boatlift, continued Pitbull's success in the hip-hop community. Both were top 10 hits and charted on the Rap Albums chart.
Pitbull dedicated the track "El Mariel" to his father, who died in May 2006 before the album's October release. He took a more gangsta-rap direction with "The Boatlift," which featured his second hit, "The Anthem."
Pop Breakout Pitbull
Unfortunately, Pitbull's label TVT Records went bankrupt, forcing Armando to release his single "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" in early 2009 on the dance label Ultra.
The result was an international hit that peaked at number two in the US. It was followed by another top 10, Hotel Room Service, and then 2009's Rebelution.
Pitbull lingered on the pop charts throughout 2010, guesting on Enrique Iglesias's "I Like It" and Usher's "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love."
The Spanish-language album "Armando" was released in 2010. It rose to No. 2 on the Latin Albums chart, propelling the rapper into the Top 10. The album helped Pitbull earn seven nominations at the 2011 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Pitbull performed the rap section of the Haitian benefit song "Somos El Mundo" organized by Emilio and Gloria Estefan.
In late 2010, Pitbull announced his upcoming album, Planet Pit, featuring another popular hit, "Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor)" featuring T-Pain. The album's second single, "Give Me Everything," shot to number one in 2011. "Planet Pit" became a top 10 gold-certified hit.
Trial
Pitbull has been implicated in the "Give Me Everything" lawsuit. Namely, about the phrase "I locked her like Lindsay Lohan." The actress objected to negative connotations about her and insisted on compensation for the use of her name. A federal judge dismissed the case on free speech grounds.
Pitbull World Star: "Mr. Worldwide"
Thanks to the international recognition of "Give Me Everything", hitting the top ten in the world and No. 1 in many countries, Pitbull was nicknamed "Mr. Worldwide".
Pitbull's success has extended to helping other artists achieve significant pop breakthroughs. He helped Jennifer Lopez make a comeback in 2011 with the pop top-five "On the Floor." It was the highest chart debut of her career, opening at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 9.
Pitbull's 2012 album Global Warming featured the popular hit "Feel This Moment" with Christina Aguilera. The song samples A-Ha's 1980s hit "Take on Me".
Successful experiments of artist Pitbull in music
Pitbull delved deeper into pop's past when he sampled the 1950s Mickey and Sylvia classic for "Back in Time" on the Men in Black 3 soundtrack.
In 2013, Pitbull teamed up with Kesha. The result was the popular single "Timber". The song also topped the charts. In particular, the UK Pop Singles Chart. It is included in the extended version of the album "Global Warming" called "Global Warming: Meltdown".
The next album, 2014's Globalization, featured the hit "Time of Our Lives" with R&B vocalist Neo Yo. This was the first recording of a track with Neo Yo in two years of the singer's "silence". Pitbull received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in June 2014.
In 2017, Pitbull released his 10th studio album "Changing Of The Climate". Enrique Iglesias, Flo Rida and Jennifer Lopez took part in the recording of the album. The album was a commercial disappointment and not a single hit even made it to the top 40.
In 2018, Pitbull released several tracks for Gotti's film: "So Sorry" and "Amore" with Leona Lewis. Also appeared in "Carnival" by Claudia Leitte, "Moving To Miami" by Enrique Iglesias and "Goalkeeper" by Arash.
2019 saw Yayo collaborate with Ky-Mani Marley, as well as “No Lo Trates” with Papa Yankee and Natti Natasha.
Personal life and legacy
Pitbull may seem lonely at the moment, but he has his own relationship history. He had a romantic relationship with Olga Loera. And also had a relationship with Barbara Alba, with whom he has two children, but they broke up in 2011.
He is also the father of two other children, but the details of the parental relationship are not known to the public. Pitbull participates in charity events. He is known to have used his private jet to transport those in need of medical attention from Puerto Rico to the US mainland in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017.
He is very active on social media. He has over 51 million Facebook followers, 7,2 million Instagram followers, and over 26,3 million Twitter followers.
The singer has created a unique niche in rap music for Latin superstars. He used this base to achieve international success in pop music.
Pitbull is a trailblazer for future Latin artists. Many of them, instead of singing, now rap. He is also a good businessman. The artist serves as an example for other Latin musicians who want to penetrate the life of show business.
