Pitbull’s had a tremendous year for himself. At the start of 2005, Pitbull was unknown to many, and by the close, hundreds of thousands of people have supported the album, and thus – Pit’s money issues. But amidst all the rise, Pitbull has stayed socially vocal, and at times, outspoken.
The demand for the independent star has skyrocketed, and while Diddy drafted paperwork to ensure Pitbull’s executive future, Slip n’ Side Records obtained masters from Pitbull’s past. These transactions, along with Pitbull’s questionable relationship his current label, TVT, has brought the star-trackers out. Whatever the case, the artist’s remixed version of Money is Still a Major Issue just hit shelves, to only cap one of 2005’s best success stories.
Here, Pitbull catches up with AllHipHop.com on most of these topics. The Miami artist touches on his lingual gifts, his penchant for real estate, and not only clarifies his label concerns, but expresses deep concern for Lil’ Jon’s. Hip-Hop’s dangled meat in front of the Pitbull, and those jaws lock.
AllHipHop.com: Rumors swirled that you may be leaving, or have left TVT. I know there was stuff with Slip-N-Side, and stuff with Bad Boy…
Pitbull: I’m an artist singed to TVT, and then I’ll be doing executive work. Right now it’s indecisive if it’s going to be Bad Boy Latino or if it’s going to be something else, we working those things out now with Diddy, and a couple folks there so we just trying to figure things out. But as far as that, I am still involved with TVT.
AllHipHop.com: What was your affiliation with Slip n Slide?
Pitbull: I have no affiliation with Slip n Slide, the thing is they got a hold of some old, old masters of mine, and that’s basically how that came about.
AllHipHop.com: So these old masters, who had the copyrights on them?
Pitbull: It was someone I was recording with before, you know when you are young and hungry you sometimes do thing just to get your voice out there, so I don’t know what deal they got together or how it worked out, but some how Slip n Slide got it.
AllHipHop.com: So if Slip n Slide does get the records and puts them out, what’s your view on that?
Pitbull: I mean, they just old school tracks, it is what it is. People are going to know its not me now, I’m talking about recordings from ’99.
AllHipHop.com: Now what differences do you see in yourself as a business and an artist from ’99 until now?
Pitbull: Oh man, it’s 150%. It’s a change. You are definitely going to see it. The good thing that they will see is that I have always been me, I’ve always rapped English/Spanish, it’s not a trend I am trying to ride, it’s a trend I tried to develop. They’ll see similarities; they are gonna see a lot of difference.
AllHipHop.com: Now, I’ve heard a lot about this Bad Boy Latino, how did that come about and how did you first get introduced to Diddy and how did that come about?
Pitbull: Actually Diddy snatched me up off stage, it was last November, I had performed, and the thing was I spoke in Spanish and I came through and did a crunk record, “Damnit Man”, and he was like, “Damn, you can do it both.” So what he first did was, he threw me on the Bad Boy clothing, let me do a couple shots for the brand, and it was me, T.I., Lil’ Wayne. And then from there, he was asking me a lot of questions about the movement, and I was telling him what’s coming to life. He’s like, “Yo, you could be an executive.”
AllHipHop.com: You’ve been wanting to be an executive for a long time now, what ideas do you have when you actually become an executive?
Pitbull: I don’t want to give my ideas away ‘cause now I see ideas are priceless. Definitely at the end of the day, bottom line, I want to be good business. My whole thing ain’t all about money, it’s more about movement. Money comes and goes. Thank God I’m comfortable, but I don’t act like I’m comfortable. That I think I’m going to apply to myself as far as being an executive also. Where everybody says Pit does good business; I’m not always trying to eat off of everybody, I’m trying to eat with everybody.
AllHipHop.com: Now what do you think sets an artist apart who is a good businessman versus just being a good artist?
Pitbull: He’s not a short-term thinker. He sees sometimes you gotta stick your tongue in your ass, and sometimes you gotta say I’ll do this for free; just relationships at the end of the day. You have to understand that yeah, you might get some money for this feature, you may get some money to do a radio show, whatever it may be, but the relationship is priceless. And that’s really what I try to preach and teach whoever I get involved with.
AllHipHop.com: Now who do you think around you makes you humble and keeps you in check at times when you might be slippin’ a little bit?
Pitbull: Well today, proudly, I can say I haven’t slipped yet, but definitely my family; anyone around me is family. I don’t keep many people around me, especially yes-men, and people who just cause problems when we don’t need them. So definitely the family I keep close to me keeps me in check.
AllHipHop.com: When a lot of artist get success like you have with Money is a Major Issue, entourage becomes an issue, have you had any problems with entourage or old friends?
Pitbull: No, not at all, I don’t deal with entourages.
AllHipHop.com: What do you have in mind for business plans in the future as well?
Pitbull: I’m involved heavily in real estate. I love to buy, flip; I love to own.
AllHipHop.com: How did you get into real estate?
Pitbull: I’m in Miami, a market where it is just booming. And I guess you can call it the new dope game. It’s something that’s legal, and you can buy, flip, sale, trade, whatever it may be.
AllHipHop.com: How has TVT been on the business end in treating you as an artist?
Pitbull: TVT has been good, if everything was right, there would be something wrong. And the biggest problem I have with TVT is the way they treat my brother [Lil’] Jon, and I’ve made that clear. I think Jon keeps the lights on at TVT, and Ying Yang, them boys comin’ along doin’ they thing, – me, I’m doin’ my thing, but no where to what Jon has done for TVT. And I feel like fair is fair, credit is due where credit is due. Stop bullsh**ting, and let’s take care of who needs to be taken care off. That’s my biggest problem with TVT. As far as myself, you can either have TVT bad dreams or major label nightmares.
AllHipHop.com: Looking at the trouble that Murder Inc. has gotten into, how do you look back at you possibly signing with them?
Pitbull: I look at that as a blessing in disguise; I didn’t know how to handle that situation for a reason. But I got with Luke, and Luke taught me everything I needed to know in order to sit down in a marketing room, in a business meeting and be able to speak my mind and tell them which way I want the project to go, and where I don’t want the project to go.
AllHipHop.com: Now what concerns you about how Lil’ Jon is treated at TVT?
Pitbull: It’s not a concern for me. It’s more like, how can a mothaf**ka be blind? He’s a good dude, hard f**kin’ worker, and I just don’t know why someone would be treated like that.
AllHipHop.com: Now what do you think they have been holding back from Jon.
Pitbull: I don’t get into the details of what they are holding back or not giving him, I just know that my brother is not happy. And to me, happiness is priceless.
AllHipHop.com: So he is actually unhappy too, he expresses this to you as well?
Pitbull: He goes through his things with TVT, he has his problems, but that’s pretty blunt to the naked eye. The guy’s not really doing much right now, recording and s**t like that, he don’t wanna promote his project no more, so there is obviously something going on, right? Like I said, the details of it I don’t get into.
AllHipHop.com: So why not go independent, is that something you plan to do in the future?
Pitbull: Definitely, I’ve been independent up to this point. And TVT is the closest thing you are going to get to independent anyways. One thing I give praise to TVT is I run around like a chicken without my head. Dog, whatever the f**k I want; I love it. Some things may not get handled the way you want them, and you’re not always gonna get everything you want, we don’t live in a perfect world.