From Reuters:

Rapper Pitbull has taken his blend of American pop music fused with Latin beats from the clubs of Miami to international pop charts, but he now is crossing into film with his first acting role as an animated character in the upcoming movie, “Epic.”

Here is the Q&A:

Q: What do you make of this whole animation world you got a chance to work in?
A: Before I didn’t understand what it meant to put a voice to animation and see it come to life. But I’m always game for trying new things. I love how those artists could see my voice on the character before it was even drawn up.

Q: How did the animators bring your influence to the character of Bufo the frog? Did they capture your essence?
A: They captured a piece of my essence, absolutely. The suits, the business/hustler, knowing how to navigate his way through the good and bad. Bufo knows how to play the middle. It’s business, not personal for him. I think they captured about 75 percent of my essence. The gestures, the hand movements, the way he walks – I think they watched me a lot in the studio when I was there.

Q: Many musical artists have made their way to film. Why haven’t you transitioned sooner?
A: It’s all about timing. I’ve had projects on the table but I didn’t have the time to do them. This caught me at the right time … I hope there’s a sequel because I would love to see more of Bufo in number two. I have a lot of good ideas for them, ideas that would capture the rest of that 25 percent of the essence they may have missed.

Q: Your stage moniker ‘Pitbull’ is named after a dog that tends to get a lot of bad press unfortunately.
A: Pitbulls are misunderstood and that’s the same thing with me when I first came into the music business. Being Cuban-American made me politically incorrect. My whole life was trying to make people understand that we all come from the same place. It’s the same with the dog. The pitbull is a very loyal, very loving dog that doesn’t understand the concept of losing. I believe in fighting hard for what you believe in and never giving up.

Q: How important is your Cuban heritage?
A: It’s very important. I’m Cuban-American, first generation. The Latin culture is everything. But I’m very careful to not let that box me in. I want to represent (my heritage) and I’m proud of who I am, but it’s about letting others know that we are just like everybody else. We don’t want people to judge us, we want people to understand us, to see that we’ve gone through the same things everybody else has gone through and suffered the same struggles.

Q: What were some of the pivotal moments in your career that really changed things for you?
A: The record that took it global was “I Know You Want Me” (in 2009). Before that, I lived in the clubs and in the streets as far as my music. But that song took it to the next level. “Give Me Everything” (in 2011) was a turning point. This record coming out (on May 28) called “Outta Nowhere” will be another turning point I think.

Q: How so?
A: It’s a different side of me. It’s going to show everything that we’ve been speaking about here – motivation, believing in yourself, not giving up. With this record, I wanted to come out of nowhere, which is why the name is perfect.

Q: “Live It Up” is your third collaboration with Jennifer Lopez, following “On The Floor” and “Dance Again.” What’s your partnership like?
A: Jennifer is a hard worker, very professional, gorgeous and she’s a walking empire. Anytime I’m around her, I’m watching, learning, studying. It’s a natural combination, like a student and teacher. I’m a student all day. I think it would be an honor for Jennifer to watch me grow and say, ‘That kid did learn.’

Q: With all your recent success, do you feel like you’ve gotten the respect you deserve? Do you feel more relaxed now and less needing to prove yourself?
A: No, I’m never relaxed. I think complacency is a cousin of death. As far as respect, whether they do or don’t, to each his own. But I do tell you this much, this is just the beginning. I promise you, it’s just the beginning.

In an Exclusive, May 1st interview with Artist Direct, Arianna talks about her hot, new single “Sexy People” and what it was like working with Mr. Worldwide. Here is what she had to say:

Was your favorite part of the video shoot?
My favorite part was when me and Pitbull were dancing on the beach. It was amazing. I loved the whole day. He’s such a nice person and a great artist. He has a fantastic attitude. He’s always fun. I love how professional he is. He’s Latin too. He speaks Spanish, and I speak Italian. Sometimes, we were speaking in English or in Spanish. It was a great time. It was the first time I did a song and I could really dance together. I’ve been training to dance my whole life. I was happy to do this.

The song doesn’t just bridge genres. It bridges cultures.
Yes! Pitbull is really “Mr. Worldwide”. You can hear it in his voice and my Italian accent. The song is about coming back and loving your country. It’s a mixture of cultures like you said.

[Read more...]

The official video for Sexy People is out now! You can also purchase the song on itunes in: English, Spanish, & Italian)!

Source: TMZ

TMZ has just learned that the lawsuit between Pitbull & Linsday Lohan, has been dropped (click the source link above more more details)!

“Lohan claimed Pitbull never got permission to use her name … and therefore he had no right to profit off of it.

But today a New York federal judge sided with Pitbull … ruling that Lindsay is dead wrong on the law – because the song is a work of art protected by the 1st amendment PLUS Lindsay’s barely even mentioned in it.

The case has been dismissed.”

Here are a few previous statements that Pitbull has made about the case:

Source/Image: Franchise Times

Pitbull is Miami’s favorite son. Cab drivers can tell you the son of Cuban immigrants’ entire history growing up in a single-parent home in Miami. “Pitbull is a man of the streets,” one American-Cuban cab driver told us. “Nobody gave him nothing. He did it on his own.” A few weeks later at a reception overlooking the Miami skyline at the Franchise Expo South, an Argentine franchise litigator with Greenberg Traurig sang the performer’s praises as well. Pitbull’s appeal, he said, is his ability to use Spanglish so artfully. The hip-hop artist/entrepreneur resonates with the U.S. Latino population, a group that is becoming more and more attractive to marketers, as well as with Latin Americans, a lucrative market south of our borders. He even receives several mentions in author Tom Wolfe’s epic novel about Miami, “Back to Blood.”

As a blue-eyed, fair-skinned teen, Pérez earned the name Pitbull because during the rap battles at underground clubs in the South, he challenged the black rappers with way more street cred than he had in rapid-fire word fights, and came out the victor. In an HBO special on prominent Latinos, he joked that while pit bulls are illegal in Miami, he has papers. Now—at least in his music videos—he’s a lover, not a fighter.

Read more or order this issue!

Source: Miami.com

Here are excerpts from a recent Miami.com interview with Pitbull:

- What can we expect from your show?
As far as New Year’s Eve, the night’s gonna be called “Whatever Happened in Miami Never Happened.”

- Was there ever any doubt that Miami would be the place for you this year?
Man, to me, it’s an honor. I’m blessed to be able to be doing the AmericanAirlines Arena on New Year’s Eve. We’re trying to put together a show kind of like what Dick Clark does, may he rest in peace, and what Ryan Seacrest does.
We kind of stumbled across this, and we said, well, if no one’s gonna pick it up, let’s just put it together, and if we build it, they will come.

- Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?
As far as the business side, in ’09 I started putting them out publicly – ‘09 was freedom in the music industry; ’10 was invasion; ’11 was build the empire; ’12 grow wealth; and ’13 is put the puzzle together.

- Are you talking about all your endorsements, with Bud Light, Dr Pepper, Voli Vodka and Miami Subs?
Everything as a whole, and to organize it and make sure it runs parallel and it all helps each other out.

[READ MORE...]

Source: NYew York Post

After Pitbull taped a performance on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon,” he gave diners at Victor’s an impromptu performance with their mojitos and ceviche Tuesday night. Pitbull, who recently released his new album, “Global Warming,” arrived at the Theater District Cuban restaurant with a crew of 20, but he declined to sit in the private dining space. Instead, his entourage took over the bar area and sang and danced to Victor’s Cuban-trio band. The Miami-born rapper encouraged guests to dance, too, and diners followed suit until well after 1 a.m. “He was super friendly with everyone and was even helping pass out mojitos to guests,” a spy told us.