Armando Christian Pérez, (born January 15, 1981) better known by his
stage name Pitbull, is an American rapper. His first recorded mainstream performance was on a solo track from
Lil Jon's 2002 album
Kings of Crunk, which featured Pitbull
rapping over Jon's production. In 2004, Pitbull released his debut album titled
M.I.A.M.I. (
backronym for
Money Is A Major Issue), under
TVT Records; the album included production from high-profile producers Lil Jon and
Jim Jonsin. Pitbull later released his second album
El Mariel, in 2006 and his third,
The Boatlift, in 2007. His fourth album,
Rebelution (2009), included the hit single "
I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)", which was his first internationally popular song, and ultimately peaked at number two on the
Billboard Hot 100.