Grammy-winning musical artist Pitbull has scored his first movie — Gotti, the indie biopic starring John Travolta as legendary mob boss John Gotti.
The Miami-based rapper also wrote and performs an original song, “Amore,” for the movie’s end credits. Gotti, directed by Kevin Connolly (Entourage), makes its world premiere on May 15 during a private screening at the Cannes Film Festival.
When Travolta learned that Pitbull, aka Armando Christian Perez, was interested in becoming involved in Gotti, the actor quickly embraced the idea.
“Music has played an integral part in the success of some of my biggest films, and Armando is one of the most electric talents in the music industry today,” Travolta said in a statement. “Everything about him — his style, creativity and culture — make his scoring of Gotti the perfect marriage of the artist and the material.”
Added Pitbull, “It’s a true honor to be involved with this project and working with icon John Travolta on the legendary story of Gotti. By default, we were underdogs in our own right and found ways to survive against all odds.”
Born in Miami — his parents were Cuban expatriates — Pitbull’s body of work spans rap, reggae, hip-hop, pop, rock and dance. He’s collaborated with Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, Leona Lewis and Shakira, among others.
While Gotti marks Pitbull’s debut as a film composer, it’s not the first time he’s written a song for a movie. He wrote and recorded the theme song for Men in Black 3, “Back in Time.”
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Gotti also stars Kelly Preston, Travolta’s real-life wife; Spencer Lofranco; Pruitt Taylor Vince; Stacy Keach; Chris Mulkey; William DeMeo; and Lydia Hull. The film is produced by Randall Emmett, George Furla for Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, Marc Fiore for Fiore Films, Michael Froch and Highland Film Group
Sunrider Productions and Vertical Entertainment will release Gotti nationwide on June 15. Last week, Travolta traveled to CinemaCon in Las Vegas to meet personally with theater owners, who gather every year on the Strip for their annual convention.
“Amore” is scheduled to be released as a single before the film hits theaters.
This article originally appeared in The Hollywood Reporter.