9781422276266

footsteps by selling drugs. She kicked him out of the house, and thereafter, he was on his own in some of the roughest Miami neighborhoods. He also spent time with a foster family in Roswell, Georgia. Pitbull does not share many details of that time in his life. However, he continued to rap and decided to leave the illegal and dangerous drug-trade lifestyle behind in favor of furthering his music career. Pitbull admits that Armando was an alcoholic, but despite

Fast Fact 3: Celia Cruz —This famous Cuban singer is known for her powerful voice and rhythm-centered musical style. She was the most popular Latin artist of the twentieth century, with twenty- three certified Gold albums in her career, spanning from the early 1940s until the early 2000s. In 1994, President Bill Clinton awarded the National Medal of Arts to the internationally known“Queen of Salsa.”Around the same time, Billboard reporter Leila Cobo described her as “…the best known and influential female figure in the history of Cuban Latin music.” Pitbull’s Early Years When Pitbull was young, he did not necessarily take advantage of his educational opportunities. He says he was given his high school diploma simply so the principal would not have to see him for another year. And during his high school years, Pitbull’s mother discovered the seventeen-year-old was following in his father’s School, which boasts of having the Celia Cruz Magnet Programwith the Celia Cruz School of the Arts. While Pitbull later cited Celia Cruz as a role model and inspiration, there is little information about the time he may have spent in this magnet program. He attended several different schools during his academic career because he and his mother moved around Miami, depending on her job at the time. Pitbull eventually graduated from Coral Park High School in 1998. Both high schools he attended were primarily Hispanic, with over half the student body claiming Hispanic heritage.

that, he gave the young rapper a strong drive to succeed. His parents lived together again for a short period after his father’s house burned down. It was then that Pitbull realized who he was and what he wanted. His dream became reality in 2004 with the release of his debut album, M.I.A.M.I. ( M oney is a M ajor I ssue ). The album hit number thirty- two on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and number eleven on the Hot Rap Tracks Chart—released weekly by Billboard and listing the top

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PITBULL

PITBULL

HIP-HOP & R&B