Pitbull

Depending on your point of view, Armando Perez, who goes by Pitbull, is either a musical pioneer or simply a guy with impeccable timing. The son of Cuban immigrants, he grew up in Miami and eventually got involved in a scene where Latin grooves and dirty-South hip-hop mingle as naturally...

By Michael Roberts

April 27, 2006

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Depending on your point of view, Armando Perez, who goes by Pitbull, is either a musical pioneer or simply a guy with impeccable timing. The son of Cuban immigrants, he grew up in Miami and eventually got involved in a scene where Latin grooves and dirty-South hip-hop mingle as naturally as elderly retirees on the city's beaches. Crunkmaster Lil Jon recognized Perez as the perfect person to pull these sonic strains together and signed on to produce "Culo," a single that arrived just as the reggaeton revolution was gathering steam. The cut helped boost M.I.A.M.I. , Pitbull's 2004 debut for the TVT imprint, to gold status, thereby transforming Perez into something of a crossover star. Since then, the only Pitbull disc to hit stores was last year's Money Is Still a Major Issue, a collection of random tracks and collaborations. But he's set to release a new CD, El Mariel, in June, which helps explain why he's appearing at this one-off concert for Mega 95.7 alongside Domenic Marte, MC Magic and La Sinfonia. After all, timing is everything.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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