Pitbull

Armando Christian Pérez (born January 15, 1981 in Miami, Florida), better known by the stage name Pitbull , is an American rapper signed to his own label, Mr 305 Inc. The Give Me Everything (Tonight) Songfacts reports that he adopted his canine moniker because, "They bite to lock. The dog is too stupid to lose. And they're outlawed in Dade County. They're basically everything that I am. It's been a constant fight."

His first recorded performance was on Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz album Kings of Crunk in 2002, after which he released his debut album, M.I.A.M.I., in 2004. He has since released 2006's El Mariel, 2007's The Boatlift and 2009's Rebelution, which debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200.

Pitbull's breakout hit was the Lil Jon collabo "Culo" produced by Lil Jon & The Diaz Brothers. In addition, Pitbull has also released several mixtapes, the most recent being Unleashed Volume 6, which are mostly composed of freestyles and remixes of popular rap music. Both thematically and musically, the 25-year-old is seen as a modern-day equivalent of earlier Miami rappers such as the 2 Live Crew and Afro-Rican. It was in fact former 2 Live Crew leader Luther Campbell who gave the up and coming rapper his first chance to shine. Apart from Crunk, his album shows clear influences from both Miami bass and freestyle. In addition to his musical work, Pitbull has also been featured in The Source expressing his stance on freedom fighter revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and he was also part of their Unsigned Hype Section. He contributed to an essay published in the New York Post that criticized freedom fighter revolutionary Che Guevara's iconization in clothing and other areas. In video games, Pitbull's hit single "Dammit Man" produced by Jim Jonsin is featured in Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, and he also plays himself in the upcoming video game based on the 1980's Scarface. His super hit "Toma" is featured in WWE Day of Reckoning 2. Also, an album cut, "Back Up" produced by The Diaz Brothers, is featured on the EA game Fight Night: Round 2. In late 2005 he re-released "M.I.A.M.I." as a separate charting entry, whilst his "Welcome to the 305" mixtape was released. In January 2006 he guest-starred in UPN's South Beach. Also in 2006 he recorded "Nuestro Himno" in collaboration with Wyclef Jean, Carlos Ponce, and Olga Tañón.