They say that when a pit bull locks onto something, they never let go until the get what they want. We're going to see it live on July 21, broadcast on Univision if Pitbull wins in all six of his categories.
BIOGRAPHY
International
music sensation Pitbull has sold millions of digital singles (including his
current hit “Hey Baby” featuring T-Pain, the double-platinum smash “I Know You
Want Me [Calle Ocho],” “Hotel Room Service,” “Krazy,” and “Culo”); scored two
No. 1’s on Billboard’s Rap Albums charts (his gold 2004 debut M.I.A.M.I. and
2009’s Rebelution, which also debuted at No. 8 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart);
and has been featured on tracks by such pop-chart mainstays as Usher, Enrique Iglesias,
Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, and Janet Jackson. On the business side, Pitbull
(whose given name is Armando Christian Pérez) launched his own Polo Grounds
Music/J Records imprint (Mr. 305 Records), introduced his specialty vodka Voli,
partnered with Sheets, the dissolvable energy strip, inked major sponsorship
deals with blue-chip brands Kodak, Dr. Pepper, Bud Light and capitalized on his
enormous popularity in the community by releasing his first Spanish-language
album, Armando, which features the Top 5 Latin Billboard pop single “Bon Bon.”
To top it all off, the Miami native was awarded his hometown’s Key to the City
as a thank-you for the positive PR he has brought Florida’s
nightlife capitol.
So when
Pitbull explains that he’s titled his new album Planet Pit because he feels as
if the world is his right now, he’s not just blowing smoke. “I’m not suggesting
I run the world, I just feel like I've built my own planet,” he says. “I’m
catching a lot of people’s ears, whether it’s with my music or appearing on
someone else’s track. When ‘I Know You Want Me [Calle Ocho]’ took off, I
started traveling the world, and I saw the impact that a global hit can have —
the way it brings people together. So now I’ve set my goals even higher. Going
in to make Planet Pit, I said, ‘Okay, Pitbull was cool, Mr. 305 was great — now
it’s time for Mr. Worldwide.’”
You need to
generate a lot of heat if you want to be Mr. Worldwide, but if there’s one
thing Pitbull has — besides a way with rapid-fire rhymes, billion-dollar beats,
and globally infectious hooks — it’s charm by the boatload. Always impeccably
dressed in a sharp suit and shades, Pit enters a room trailed by his pals
happily bantering away in Spanish, a gorgeous girl, and members of his
management team. Even while juggling a constant stream of incoming texts and
emails on his two smartphones, Pit has the ability to make everyone he meets
feel at home, addressing them as “Mama” or “Papo,” and asking if they need
anything. He’s the consummate professional: confident and charismatic — a true
star.
Pit’s
magnetic personality electrifies Planet Pit — a spicy, stylish stew of raps,
beats, and hooks influenced by the music Pit has absorbed growing up and living
in Miami, which claims a wide range of dance-driven sounds thanks to the Cuban,
Dominican, Colombian, and Caribbean people who make it their home. “I grew up
with salsa, merengue, bachata, booty-shaking music, freestyle music, then came
hip hop for me. So you throw all that in a pot, which we call a paella in
Spanish — that's what I'm trying to do with this album,” says Pit, who
performed in such far-flung locales as France, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil,
and Singapore, among others, while promoting Rebelution. “It embodies a bit of
everywhere I’ve been. For example, ‘Shake Señora’ has got T-Pain, who’s from
Tallahassee and Sean Paul who brings the Jamaican feel. I’m trying to be the
ambassador; the bridge builder who brings elements from all over the world and
puts it all together so it sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard before.”
The album’s
hot new single, “Give Me Everything,” catches fire thanks to the sizzling
talents of Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer. Much like the worldwide smash, Planet Pit
is a star-studded affair that includes contributions by a host of pop music luminaries,
such as singers Marc Anthony (“Rain Over Me”), Jamie Foxx (“Where Do We Go),
Chris Brown (“International Love”), and Kelly Rowland (“Castles Made of Sand”).
To give the album its edge, Pit surrounds himself with a rouges gallery of
today’s hottest artists that includes T-Pain (“Hey Baby”) and Sean Paul. To
blend the album’s diverse sounds into a seamless flow, Pit tapped top producers
like David Guetta, Afrojack (“Something 4 The DJ’s), RedOne, Polow Da Don and
DJ Frank E. In fact, Pitbull’s “Come & Go” which features Enrique Iglesias
marks the first time that super-producers Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco and Max Martin
work with Pit. “The goal for Planet Pit was to pack it with 10 big singles,”
Pit says. “I want each track to be a huge record, not just two records and the
rest is bullsh*t.”
With its
relentless rhythms, the music is tailor-made for the clubs, but Pit has already
proven that he can cross over to urban, Latin, and pop audiences with the
Brazilian-influenced “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho),” which climbed to No. 2
on Billboard’s Hot 100 and hit the Top 5 internationally, including in the U.K.
and Canada. His sound, combining hip-hop and Euro-dance elements with fierce
rhymes and sizzling pop hooks, has proven to be a winner on the charts.
Onstage, Pit
truly brings this highly personalized combination of styles to life by
harnessing the raw energy of his live band. The interplay between the singer
and the musicians creates a festive, spontaneous atmosphere that would be
impossible to duplicate if Pit performed backed only by a DJ spinning tracks.
“When the congas are pounding and the bass is thumping behind me, nothing can
touch me. It feels like I’m riding a bolt of lighting.” But the real beauty of
Planet Pit is that its creator never forgets his roots, and Pit’s wide-eyed
appreciation for how far he’s come grounds his irresistible global music in a
relatable humanity.
Pit learned
the power of words from a young age. His parents were first-generation Cuban
immigrants, and his father taught him to recite the words of Cuban poet and
independence leader José Martí in the bars in Miami’s Little Havana. After his
parents split, Pit had a complicated relationship with his father, who made a
significant amount of money in the streets, but found that money that comes
quick, leaves quicker. His mother also struggled to make ends meet, and Pit
shuttled from one run-down home to another, even spending time with a foster
family in rural Roswell, Georgia. Inspired by Nas and The Notorious B.I.G., Pit
began rapping in high school after his mother kicked him out for dealing drugs.
He managed to graduate and began to focus on his career, hanging out in clubs
and performing wherever he could. Pit caught a break when Lil Jon invited him
to appear on his 2002 album Kings of Crunk, and capitalized on the opportunity
by following it up with several well-received mixtapes.
In 2004,
Pitbull signed with TVT Records, which issued his three No. 1 independent
albums, M.I.A.M.I.: Money Is A Major Issue (2004), El Mariel (2006), and The
Boatlift (2007), earning Pit a reputation as rap’s most versatile leading man.
Through collaborations with his mentor Lil Jon, Pit scored a number of club
smashes, including “Krazy” and “The Anthem.” After leaving and signing to Polo
Grounds Music/J Records, Pitbull continued to be recognized for his work,
winning the first-ever “Latin Digital Download Artist of the Year” award at the
2009 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
And now, as
he gears up for the June 21, 2011 release his new album, Pitbull is ready to
introduce the planet to Mr. Worldwide.
Last month Juanes surprised us all when we heard the news that he was taking a break from music and cancelled three concerts in the US. He suspended his tour in Latin America and also broke ties with his long time manager Fernan. All of this came as a shock to his fans who received this unexpected message via Twitter.
Juanes said: “Of course I am not retiring from music, that would never happen. I have simply decided to take a small break to spend time with my family”. This was the message that Juanes tweeted, followed by other messages explaining what is happening with his professional career. Even though it is not clear as to why he made this decision, Juanes said this to his fans” “I am tweeting you from the studio, I am making music every day, I only need some time to reflect and peace to move forward.” He then said that he had cancelled three concerts in the US but will still perform in Spain in the month of July and will tour Latin America “later on with more assertiveness” even though there is not set date yet. He also said: “My professional relationship with Fernan (his manager) has come to an end, and it is not true that I will go into politics, that is such a joke”. He concluded by saying: “It is true that I lived very difficult moments with this album, it is false that this was my only reason though. Fatigue brings all types of consequences. For all the love and respect that I have for my fans I will tell you one thing that is very true…I love you very much!”
Juanes has a very strong and established career as a musician and his fans support him with every decision he makes. He has sold over thirteen million albums , won seventeen Grammys and received the BMI President’s Award at the 2010 BMI Latin Awards. Not only is he a well known musician but he is also known for his humanitarian work, especially with aid for Colombian victims of anti-personnel mines. In 2006, Juanes performed before the European Parliament as part of a campaign to increase awareness against the use of land mines around the world, including in his native Colombia.
In 2008, Juanes organized a free concert as a response to the 2008 Andean Diplomatic crisis which took place on the Colombia-Venezuela border. In 2009, Juanes held his second "Peace Without Borders" concert in Havana which featured artists from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Juanes made a very powerful statement following this concert “"Going to Cuba is a symbol that it’s time to change people’s minds, an opportunity to tell the world that people have to change."
