Armando Christian Perez — better known as Pitbull or Mr. Worldwide — has sold five million albums and had No. 1 hits in more than 15 countries. He's worked with artists like Usher, Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez. Now, he brings the party to the big screen in the new animated feature film Epic, which also features the voices of Christoph Waltz, Colin Farrell, Steven Tyler and Beyonce.
Pitbull's reach is worldwide — and to him, it's an opportunity to get a message across. Here, he tells NPR's Michel Martin about using music as an escape from the drug trade, how he's the only "pitbull with papers" in Miami, and his Epic role as a well-dressed toad.
Interview Highlights
On Global Warming and his career trajectory in music
"It's all about a global movement, it being a global market, making global music. So I've gotten a chance to tour the world, learn from so many different cultures, different sounds, foods, dances. And I'd just like to apply that to the music. Global Warming, it being that that's exactly what we're doing right now. We are creeping up on the world, little by little. Something that people before maybe didn't believe or they heard about it but they didn't understand it. And I think now it's when it's coming to full reality.
"You constantly have to defend your success. Because, see, the more successful you become, the more of a target you are. With that said, I think Dr. Dre had one of the best lines I ever heard. He said, 'As hard as you work for your money, there's four or five people working harder to take it from you.'"
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