"Pitbull is the Latin hip-hop star who is making it big on the music stage. His parents crossed over to the US from Cuba in a boatlift when his mother was pregnant with him. He was born Armando Pérez in 1980. When he was growing up his parents wanted him to learn about and embrace their culture, but he soon found himself enthralled with the hip-hop culture. By the time he was a teenager he renamed himself Pitbull and got his first tattoo at the age of 15. He got his first break when he teamed up with Luther Campbell, the leader of 2 Live Crew, to record the single ""Lollipop.""This first big break resulted in a strong friendship with Lil Jon, after opening up doors for him to appear on Lil Jon's album Kings of Crunk. His 2004 debut album - M.I.A.M.I (Money is a Major Issue) peaked at number 14 on the Billboard 200, topping out at number 14. It also hit the number one spot on Top Independent Albums and number seven on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.Pitbull had learned the power of words from his parents when he was growing up, as they required him to memorize the works of José Martí. Since that first album he has released several others, El Mariel was his sophomore release, from October 31, 2006. Unleased Vol. 6 was released on January 3, 2007. Then was The Boatlift which he also released in 2007. September 15, 2008 saw the release of his album 305 Till I Die and the albums keep getting stronger. Pitbull has continued releasing Top Independent Albums chart toppers and giving excellent performances."
