| Real Name: | Armando Christian Pérez |
| Birthday: | January 15, 1981 |
| Net Worth | $90 million |
| Height: | 170 cm |
| Occupation: | American Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, Record Producer |
Pitbull first appeared on the scene in 2004. He released his debut album M.I.A.M.I, an instant hit. And before you know it, he recorded tracks with big-name stars like Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, and Christiana Aguilera. Today, he is one of the best Latin pop performers. How much is Pitbull’s cash flow?
As of August 2020, he sold more than 5 million albums and 60 million singles. And that is only his albums and singles, not counting collaborations with other artists. He went through several transformations. Pitbull started as a Latin performer but then rebranded himself as a pop artist. As of August 2020, Pitbull fortune is more than $90 million.
Let’s take a look at his career journey and path.
Career Ups and Downs
Born as Armando Christian Perez in 1981 to Cuban expatriates in Miami, he grew up in Miami. That genre of pop music influenced his career. Today, he cites Willy Chirino and Celia Cruz as his inspiration and motivation. When he was young, his parents split up. Pitbull went on to live with his mother and then a foster family in Roswell, Georgia.
During his time at Miami Coral Park High School, he focused on his career in music. In the beginning, he focused on rapping. He chose the name Pitbull because these dogs have a reputation of biting to lock.
He signed with Luke Records in 2001. The producers instantly saw the hunger and eagerness in his eyes. At the time, Robert Fernandez served at Famous Artist Music & Management, an independent label and management company. He poached Armando from Luke Records. Together, they focused on creating radio-friendly music and sound. They wanted to get to the catchier part of the song quicker and focus less on the rap side.
His career took off in 2004 with his debut album M.I.A.M.I. Lil Jon produced his lead single, Culo. It peaked at Number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and 11 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. After that, he joined the Anger Management Tour. Eminem and 50Cent were the headliners of the tour.
In 2005, he co-founded Bad Boy Latino with Sean Diddy Combs. It served as a subsidiary of Bad Boy Records by Combs. The label focused on Latin soul, pop, and hip hop.
Armando released his third album in November 2007. The single Secret Admirer led the way. Pitbull said the album will have more gangsta rap edge than his previous albums. The song Go Girl peaked at Number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The same year, his variety show, Pitbull’s La Esquina debuted in May. It ran through 2009.
For his fourth studio album, he released one of his most successful early tracks. The song I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) peaked at Number 30 on the Hot 100 chart. It also appeared on the Top 10 charts in countries like Italy, Netherlands, Canada, and the UK. This song announced his fourth album, Pitbull Starring in Rebelution. He sold more than 7.5 million copies of the album.
In 2010, he got invited to perform the rap section in the Haiti benefit song, Somos El Mundo. It is a Spanish version of We Are the World. Artists like Emilia and Gloria Estefan also appeared on the song.
In 2010, he released his debut Spanish-language album. Titled Armando, the song earned him a nomination at the 2011 Billboard Latin Music Awards. He earned a total of 7 nominations, including song of the year, artist of the year, Latin rhythm album, and more.
At the beginning of the 2010s, Pitbull returned to making collaborations with big-name artists. In 2011, he released On the Floor featuring Jennifer Lopez. The song made it to her Love? album. By the summer the same year, he released his album Planet Pit. The song Give Me Everything featuring Ne-Yo made it to the album.
In October 2011, RCA Music Group disbanded J Records, Jive Records, and Arista Record. Following that, Pitbull and other artists released material through the RCA Records brand. The Latin artist released his seventh studio album Global Warming in November 2012.
This album contains the successful single Get it Started featuring Shakira. Christiana Aguilera joined for the Feel This Moment single. And the second single from the album, Back in Time, got used for the Men in Black 3 movie. In the summer of 2013, he went on a world tour promoting his album.
In 2014, he got invited to perform at the opening ceremony of the World Cup. He performed We Are One alongside Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte.
In 2018, he released his first full-length soundtrack album for the movie Gotti. He appears on two tracks of the album, So Sorry and Amore. Leona Lewis joins him for the latter song.
In September 2019, Armando released his eleventh studio album. Titled Libertad 548, the album is a mix between pop songs and Latin songs. For example, the song No Lo Trates, featuring Daddy Yankee, is a classic Latin song. It sold more than 350,000 copies. The second single, 3 to Tango, went viral for John Travolta’s surprise guest appearance on the music video.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Pitbull signed a partnership deal with LiveXLive. The platform gets exclusive rights to concerts, behind the scenes videos, and more.
Net worth
Pitbull has a fortune of over $90 million. He sold more than 7.5 million studio albums and 100 million singles worldwide. So far, he released 11 studio albums, 4 compilation albums, four official mixtapes, one soundtrack album, and more than 1,000 songs in total. And he recorded more than 200 music videos.
In the past four years, he earns more than 20 million per year. Armando reached the height with $35 million earnings in 2018. As for the success of his songs, here are some Billboard hits.
– Give Me Everything featuring Ne-Yo reached Number 1 on the Hot 100 Chart
– Timber, featuring Kesha reached Number 1 on the Hot Chart for three weeks
– DJ Got Us Falling in Love featuring Usher reached Number 4 on the Hot 100 chart
– On the Floor featuring Jennifer Lopez reached Number 3 on the Hot 100 chart
– I Know You Want Me, Calle Ocho, reached Number 2 on the Hot 100 chart with a perfect mashup of Brazil and Miami beats
A lot of his money comes from record sales. But he is also one of the best tour performers. In 2017, Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias earned $40 million with their tour. They sold more than 422,959 tickets.
The Latin artist also earns money through product endorsements. He collaborated with Kodak in 2010 alongside Drake and Rihanna. He launched a partnership with Dr. Pepper, and in 2012, he got involved in a Walmart campaign.
In November 2013, the Latin artist started his fragrance line with Jacavi Worldwide and Parlux Ltd. He launched a radio channel on Sirius XM Radio in May 2015. And then in 2019, he created advertisements for Boost Mobile to expand its reach to Spanish communities.
On February 2, 2020, Pitbull got featured in a Super Bowl commercial for Super Bowl LIV. He appeared alongside Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, Steven Van Zandt, and DJ Khaled. With all that, it is no surprise Pitbull’s wealth is more than $90 million.