Credit: Unknown (photographer)
“I love to make club records that are endless,” Pit says. “You can easily go into any club and run into a 10-15 minute Pitbull set. My inspiration comes from the clubs. I am in the clubs and I’m feeling what people are moving to.” And underneath the party beats, Pitbull’s other inspiration continues to creep into his music, whether club-goers on the dance floor know it or not. In 2006, he released his sophomore album, El Mariel, deceptively named after the boat that brought his family from Cuba. His recently released third studio album, The Boatlift, is even more directly named and included a DVD about his family’s journey to the United States. Pitbull also recently branched out beyond music and into television. He’s currently working on an adult-themed cartoon called Rock, Pepe, Scissors and last year, popular Spanish cable channel mun2 debuted Pitbull Presents La Esquina.
“La Esquina was done to show people my upbringing and the people I have grown up around—to show them how multicultural Miami is and, at the same time, how surprising it can be,” he says. “When you can see black boy down here full of dreads and gold teeth speaking Spanish, you’re like, ‘Oh shit! What the fuck?’ So, I just wanted to show people a different perspective of Pitbull.” That doesn’t mean Pitbull is ready to open up just yet.
“La Esquina was done to show people my upbringing and the people I have grown up around—to show them how multicultural Miami is and, at the same time, how surprising it can be,” he says. “When you can see black boy down here full of dreads and gold teeth speaking Spanish, you’re like, ‘Oh shit! What the fuck?’ So, I just wanted to show people a different perspective of Pitbull.” That doesn’t mean Pitbull is ready to open up just yet.
“The day I cut a classic I will let niggas know, ‘Ah, look dawg! I have given you so many albums but this one right here … This is the one that I put my heart, my soul and everything into,’” he says of his dream project. “I am going to be talking on so many different points of view that in time I think it will only win a lot of respect from a lot of people out there who may look at Pitbull from a different perspective.”
There are already a few topics on the list, including Pitbull’s anti-Castro and anti-Bush feelings. While El Mariel and The Boatlift spoke to his Cuban roots and the struggles of his people, the MC has been hesitant to truly lay down his feelings in music. In 2006, when Cuba announced that an ailing Castro had transferred his power to his brother Raúl, Pitbull recorded “Ya Se Acabó (It’s Over).” The song spun heavily on Miami radio and on Pitbull’s MySpace page but the MC neglected to include it on El Mariel.
There are already a few topics on the list, including Pitbull’s anti-Castro and anti-Bush feelings. While El Mariel and The Boatlift spoke to his Cuban roots and the struggles of his people, the MC has been hesitant to truly lay down his feelings in music. In 2006, when Cuba announced that an ailing Castro had transferred his power to his brother Raúl, Pitbull recorded “Ya Se Acabó (It’s Over).” The song spun heavily on Miami radio and on Pitbull’s MySpace page but the MC neglected to include it on El Mariel.
“I have those records in the can but I don’t feel like its time for that,” he says. “I am waiting for them to confi rm Castro’s death. I am waiting for a new [U.S.] president. I am waiting for different things that socially I can speak about and people can be like, ‘Wow, he makes the type of records that I shake my ass to but he’s got a head on his shoulders and he can put it on a track.’” Until then, Pitbull will smuggle his message into the club, buried within his party records.
“Even the music that I put out now has a message behind it. It may not be in the music, but it shows you that music is the universal language. It brings people together no matter what culture they from,” he explains of his love for party records. “I love making them because I know the impact that they have. They become global records that are heard in Latin America, Central America, Europe, Australia, Korea, Japan … That shows you the power of good music. I want to be able to put together good music with a powerful message—whether that message is hidden or not.”
“Even the music that I put out now has a message behind it. It may not be in the music, but it shows you that music is the universal language. It brings people together no matter what culture they from,” he explains of his love for party records. “I love making them because I know the impact that they have. They become global records that are heard in Latin America, Central America, Europe, Australia, Korea, Japan … That shows you the power of good music. I want to be able to put together good music with a powerful message—whether that message is hidden or not.”
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