What’s Pitbull‘s strategy for producing hits?
“Every track has its own way of coming together, but essentially, I just say, ‘I like this,'” he says. “Then Buddha [his A&R director and head of Mr. 305 Records] says, ‘You’re crazy!’ And I say, ‘I don’t care.’ “
On the eve of the release of his upcoming “Armando” album, due Oct. 25, Pitbull told us the backstories behind some of the smashes fans expect on his first Spanish-only set.
“Mujeres”
This is a fun record. It’s an old Beastie Boys record and we just did it in Spanish and I put my lyrics on it. “I’m afraid of child support, if you don’t’ pay they’ll take you to court. That belly. Who’s is that belly,” go the lyrics. It’s really about making fun but it’s real shit everyone can relate to.
“Bon, Bon “
It’s a record [titled “Me No Speak Americano”] we heard while in Europe and me and Buddha fell in love with it. We just took the beat and put the song on top. And why call it “Bon, Bon”? Because that’s [what we call] a beautiful woman [in Spanish].
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“Guantanamera”
It’s the same “Guantanamera” everyone knows but we flipped it. We just made it modern. And also, how should I say, humorous. When I say “no te hagas la guajira, deja eso en la finca.” I’m saying, “C’mon baby you gotta catch up to the times!” Women now are independent, powerful and sexy.
“Tu Cuerpo” (ft. Jencarlos)
It’s the Cuban connection. Me and [fellow Cuban] Jencarlos Canela ran into each other in Puerto Rico, during the Billboard awards. And he was telling me he was a Miami boy, Cuban, big fan, and I said, “coño let’s get together.” And a couple of months later he came, he brought over the track, and I just added the verses.
“Vida 23” (ft. Nayer)
This is the record we’re doing with Dr. Pepper and it’s going to be in the album. I wrote it specifically for the campaign. We’re gonna be shooting a commercial, they’re going to be using the record and we’re talking about a major, major campaign. And the beauty of it I think is showing how major corporations want to be involved with people whose last names are Gutiérrez, Pérez, etc.. Names than end with a z. The cool thing is, when I was a kid, Dr. Pepper was my favorite.
“Amorosa” (Ft. Papayo)
It’s a dance-funk record originally titled “Glamurosa” and sung by Mc Marcinho. It starts in Portuguese and then it goes into English with Papayo singing, “I’ve been thinking about you baby.” Papayo plays the drums in the band but he wants to be a solo act so I’m giving him the opportunity. He gave me “Glamurosa,” I heard it, and I said cool. Then [coincidentally] another DJ I work with, Chino, also gave it to me.