Armando Christian Pérez, known as Pitbull in the artistic world, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and music producer of Cuban descent, born on January 15, 1981, in Miami, Florida. He has two sisters from his mother's previous marriages. His childhood was marked by significant instability due to his mother's alcoholism, as she had been sexually abused by her cousins in her youth and was also a victim of violence from her own mother. He lived for a time with neighbors who had two children his age, attending the same school, until his mother found a job and was able to recover. Pitbull's mother emigrated to the United States through Operation Peter Pan, something the artist is grateful for, as it allowed him to be born in a free country.
He adopted his artistic name thanks to a friend who, after hearing him rap during his early freestyle years, told him that he did with words what a dog of that breed does—once it catches its prey, it doesn't let go. He is also known as Mr. 305 or Mr. Worldwide.
The first steps of his successful music career were taken in hip hop. It was the 90s when Pitbull recorded the song "Lollipop" alongside Luke, the singer of 2 Live Crew. In 2003, he collaborated on the album Kings of Crunk with Lil Jon and the East Side Boys. Some of the tracks were included in the soundtrack of the second installment of The Fast & The Furious.
In 2005, Pitbull released his first album, M.I.A.M.I., where he blended hip-hop with reggaeton, selling 500,000 copies. From this moment on, his career became unstoppable, marked by collaboration requests from other artists and the uniqueness of his persona.
In her next album, Mariel—named in honor of her father who emigrated from Cuba in the 80s during the opening of that port—she collaborates with artists like Shakira and Wyclef Jean, among others.
With his fourth album The Boatlift, he managed to place the song "I Know You Want Me" in second place on the Billboard Hot 100. Three years later, the single “Give Me Everything” from his fifth album Armando reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Many of his songs have topped the charts in countries across Europe, America, and the United States.
He has recorded tracks for movie soundtracks, including Men in Black 3 (2012) and Penguins of Madagascar (2013). In 2019, he lent his voice to the character of the dog in the children's film Ugly Dolls, where he also contributed to the music. He has participated in charitable campaigns, such as recording the song "We Are the World" alongside other famous artists to raise funds for the victims of the earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010. Additionally, he has hosted award shows like the American Music Awards (2014).
In 2013, he contributed to the establishment and funding of a public educational center, Sports Leadership and Management, in Little Havana, the neighborhood of his childhood, where he aims to support the development and education of young people through their connection with sports and a method that combines fun with learning.
He has collaborated with well-known figures in international music, including Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, Eminem, Usher, Christina Aguilera, Kesha, Chris Brown, among others.
Albums: 2004: M.I.A.M.I. (Money is a Major Issue), 2006: El Mariel, 2007: The Boatlift, 2009: Rebelution, 2010: Armando, 2011: Planet Pit, 2012: Global Warming, 2014: Globalization, 2015: Dale, 2017: Climate Change, 2019: Libertad 548
He was appointed Mayor of Little Havana in 2018.
In early 2020, he became embroiled in a controversy with Gente de Zona, which generated significant criticism from his Cuban fans, as well as statements against him from some Cuban artists. The group Gente de Zona, based in Miami but performing in Cuba with the government's approval, publicly acknowledged Miguel Díaz Canel as their president during one of their performances and featured Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the grandson and personal security chief of Cuban leader Raúl Castro, on stage with them. This sparked widespread outrage within the Cuban exile community, leading to harsh questioning of the stance taken by the two members of the duo residing in the United States, including the possibility of revoking their permanent resident Green Card.
The reaction from the Cuban exile community was swift, leading to the cancellation of the duo's performance at the New Year's Eve concert in 2019 held at Bayfront Park in Miami, where they were set to perform alongside others, including Pitbull, who took the opportunity to send a greeting to the Cuban duo, stating that "music is music and politics is politics."
An avalanche of accusations has been directed at the singer, who later acknowledged in an interview that he may not have even been aware of the underlying issues when he greeted Randy and Alexander during his performance. Pitbull apologized and expressed that he is fully integrated and aware of the needs of the Cuban exile community, affirming that his role will continue to be that of a unifier.
He has a record label, Mr. 305 Records, with which the Cuban singer Lenier Mesa signed in August 2020. Mesa had previously collaborated with the American artist in 2019 on the song "Me quedaré contigo" alongside Ne-Yo and El Micha, a track that Pitbull included in his tenth album, Libertad 548.
In August 2020, the Cuban singer Yomil revealed that Pitbull, along with the popular DJ IamChino, would be preparing a special tribute for El Dany, a well-known member of the Cuban duo Yomil and El Dany, who passed away in Havana on July 18, 2020.
