I know many of you big Houston rap fans may not be so familiar with the man who goes by the name of Pitbull but he’s definitely been doing his thing in the dirty south, or the south if that’s what you call the MIA. That’s right Pitbull has been ripping mixtapes and rhymes out of Miami for a minute now and with an album release on a major he’s starting to get some of that airplay and tv time that’s he’s been looking for to share his thing with the people. Check out this interview SOHH.com did with the boy Pitbull and find out what it’s all about and then check out some of his shit, it’s not bad.
SOHH Whatchusayin’: Pitbull
written by Bear FrazerMoney may have been a major issue for Pitbull last year, but it now appears the Miami emcee is on top of the world. After all, his debut album M.I.A.M.I. went gold, his singles have heated up the charts and recently, he teamed up with Sean “Diddy” Combs to launch Bad Boy Latino. Pitbull is really becoming a leader within the Latin Hip-Hop Community, so it only seems natural to interview him for SOHH Whatchusayin’.
In this SOHH.com exclusive, Pitbull comments on a few quotes from Jay-Z, Lil’ Jon, Rhymefest and The Source . He also explains how to go from negative from positive when you “get that paper” and why “Window Shopping” could motivate you.
SOHH.com: At a campaign to educate London school children about the dangers of guns, Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, England recently blamed Hip-Hop Artists for gun violence. Mayor Ken Livingstone said, “Some overpaid rap artists swinging around with a gun or a knife … the consequences of their behavior is a kid lying dead in the street.” What do you make out of this?
Pitbull: I mean, as much as rap, let’s talk about guns. You got guns all over the place. You got them on the big screen, you got them on the news everyday, so what do rappers have to do with gun violence? I think it’s just apart of culture and not just American Culture, but I think worldwide.
SOHH.com: I talked to Rhymefest for an edition of SOHH Whatchusayin’ and he told me a phrase he didn’t like is “Gotta get that paper.” He didn’t like that phrase because it “means we don’t care how we do it, who we hurt, who we kill, who we destroy…. as long as we make a profit. ” What’s your opinion on that?
Pitbull: “Gotta get that paper,” he doesn’t like that phrase because he feels whether it’s a negative or a positive, it’s all about getting that paper? I mean, I agree with him to a certain extent, but at the same time, I live in the real world and realistically speaking, in certain areas where we come from, you know, it’s basically you gotta get that paper. You know, it’s survival. Just like anything in the world, as you go down the food chain, it’s all about survival and really, I guess that’s what “Gotta get that paper” truly means for some people. And I think the whole point of getting paper is to turn a negative into a positive, so if you did something bad for the paper or whatever you happen to do at the time, it’s all about taking that, learning from that and making sure that you don’t do that, once you get the paper. But to me, I disagree in a way because I know there are a lot of people out here who will do anything for paper and it’s not in bad neighborhoods. I mean, look at our President and our society at the end of the day.
SOHH.com: Ok. This next one is about some people you know very well: Lil’ Jon and Scott Storch. Recently, Lil’ Jon accused Scott Storch of stealing his sound. Lil’ Jon told MTV, “Scott Storch is biting my style now. A lot of them records sound like Lil’ Jon, but they [are produced by] Scott Storch. Have you heard that? All the singles started sounding like me.” What’s your reaction to this?
Pitbull: Yeah, definitely, have you heard the new Chris Brown record? I thought Jon did it, so I called him and asked him, “Yo’, this Chris Brown record is hot. It’s gonna be a big record for you.” And he was like, “No, Storch did it.” I go, “Ooooooo…” So, he’s not speaking fiction. It’s fact.
SOHH.com: I hear that. Aiight … let’s talk about graffiti. The Mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, appeared on a television show called “Nevada Newsmakers” and suggested that those who deface freeways with graffiti should get punished. He stated the following: “I’m saying maybe you put them on TV and cut off a thumb. That may be the right thing to do.”
Pitbull: Hell no, that ain’t the right thing to do! What, do we live in the Third World? What’s wrong with that guy? Anyways, at the end of the day, there is a way to be disrespectful with graffiti and there’s a way to be respectful and as far as graffiti. It’s just a form of art, if people do it the right way. There are a lot of things graffiti adds to a city if it’s done the right way, but at the same time, some people are disrespectful as in any way life. They do stupid things like graffiti on people’s property, buildings and businesses, people’s cars and that’s disrespectful. But cutting thumbs off on TV? Are you serious?
SOHH.com: Right … Seems like Jay-Z was serious on October 27. He had his big concert, “I Declare War,” but instead of smashing people, he did the exact opposite. He said, “All that beef sh!t is done, we had our fun. Let’s get this money.” What do you think about that?
Pitbull: He’s growing up, ya know? He’s maturing at a fast pace into the position he is in now, so he knows the people who really get rich on rappers beefing are the boys who cut the checks. The [Interscope Records chief Jimmy] Iovines, the [TVT president Steve] Gotliebs, ya know, they’re the ones who enjoy that paper and controversy. But at the end of the day, you got these rappers who go home into the real world and have to deal with the real bullsh!t. With Jay-Z saying that, he’s a trend setter, so when he said that, he said everybody’s gonna turn it around and that’s great. The way I look at it, it’s better to kill them with kindness.
SOHH.com: Killing ‘em with kindness. Good stuff. Hey man, I might have forgot to tell you that I loved “Toma.” I cranked it all summer. It was on repeat and I like getting crunk to it. But there’s something I don’t completely understand. On there, you rapped, “Si tu quiere’ que te coma toda, abre las pierna’, y dale Toma!” Can you translate that for me?
Pitbull: Yeah, I’m basically telling the women if she wants me, that she opens her legs. Here it comes.
SOHH.com: Well I definitely like that line. I’m so using it this weekend.
Pitbull: (Laughing) Try it out.
SOHH.com: I will. For the past several months, The Source Magazine has accused Funkmaster Flex and other DJs at New York’s Hot 97 of being involved in payola. With his ongoing problems with Benzino, Flex attacked him and his music. He said, “Can you explain something to me? When these guys had some money, how come they couldn’t pay to get their records played? If you can pay, why don’t you pay and get it on?” What do you think about that?
Pitbull: To be honest with you, there’s definitely some things going on that shouldn’t be. But I think that’s because, at the end of the day, it’s all about egos and who has the bigger one. Ya know, everybody is pulling they cock out and putting it on the table, seeing who got the biggest cock right now. Like who gives a fuck (laughing), you know what I’m saying? It just goes to show that no matter what you do, at the end of the day, there is going to be sh!t on it.
SOHH.com: Ok. Enough about payola, let’s talk about window shopping. When making the song “Window Shopper,” 50 Cent said, “It’s weird because at [one] point in my life, I was a window shopper, but I was a kid then. It’s time for me to grow up and move on. You to old to be a window shopper these days, man.”
Pitbull: My friend, I still do window shopping and I think window shopping is a good thing. It’s a sense of motivation. Kind of like ambition, like, “Yea, I want that. What am I going to do to get that? I’m going to get out there and grind hard,” and that means something.
SOHH.com: Ok, well here’s something which is more intense. The deaths of two young African men have sparked riots among North and West African immigrant communities in Paris. Although the riots have been going on for days, it appears that the unrest no longer has much to do with the deaths of the two young Africans. Mohamed Hammouti, a 15 year-old boy, told the New York Times that, “It was a good excuse, but it’s fun to set cars on fire.” What’s your take on this?
Pitbull: That’s fuckin’ incredible. I mean, that comes to show you where society is at these days. And what I guess, just so many topics you can touch up on and that situation right there, you can touch up on racism, religion … it’s really ignorant at the end of the day. What’s the point of the fight? I mean, they’re hurting their own people, so I really don’t understand that.
SOHH.com: True. Ok, check this out. Last year, a Miami police officer used a taser to shock a 6 year-old in an elementary school office. The police did this because the special needs student cut himself twice with a shard of glass and threatened to do it again upon any approaching officer. Miami-Dade police spokeswoman Nelda Fonticella said the following: “When you first hear the story, you think, ‘Oh my gosh, cops tased a 6 year-old.’ But you’ve got to take a look at the entire situation to realize why it was done.”
Pitbull: I think that’s bullsh!t. I think bottom line, one, tasing six year olds is wrong, Two, a six year-old with glass shard is gonna cut a cop? C’mon! Get the fuck out of here. A cop? You could get cut a little bit, but you know, you don’t have to tase a six year-old kid. It sort of like hiding behind your badge and knowing you’re going to get away with it. That’s bullsh!t. I totally disagree with it.
Pitbull’s M.I. Still A.M.I. is in stores now.