Pitbull
Rebelution
Rating: 3.0/5.0
Label: Mr. 305 Inc/ Polo Grounds Music/ RCA Music Group
Like most hip-hop artists, Pitbull has made a career out of representing his stomping grounds. A native of Miami-Dade County, the self-appointed “Mr. 305″ counts among his influences the poet Jose Marti and 2 Live Crew’s Luther Campbell and his style is distinct for rapping in a language mash-up commonly known as “Spanglish.” On his previous three albums, Pitbull had made his name by cleverly switching between English and Spanish, and managed to make his lyrics flow in both tongues. Pitbull is the definition of a hometown hero, and once he met up with superproducer Lil’ Jon, success was not elusive. With Rebelution, Pitbull continues to evolve lyrically, and he has crafted another solid Miami-bass/club electronica record that is sure to be heard in clubs as well as from cars, and just as loud in both.
No stranger to braggadocio, Pitbull opens with “Triumph.” Using an energetic synth horn to complement his runaway flow, he raps about being back in the game, kicking off the album on an enthusiastic high. As the fake horns give way to real ones, “Shut It Down” comes, featuring creatively used digital distortion, but in an all-too-common misstep, an uninspired Akon-style hook. Despite this, the song remains successful due to Pitbull’s lyricism and its Miami-bass soaked drum and synth beat, and as he raps, “My life’s a movie/ Call Me Martin Scorsese” he manages to creatively color his persona.
For those not fond of the Miami sound, Pitbull does shine through dexterity. On the highlight of the album, “Dope Ball,” Pitbull flexes some lyrical muscle in describing the drug hustle in basketball metaphors. While metaphor is nothing new, Pitbull manages to combine slang terms, like describing weed, blow and coke as “The three from the top of the key,” alongside mentions of courts and referees. It’s an extended metaphor that works surprisingly well and engenders the confidence in Pitbull’s lyrics that his delivery always suggests. Pitbull also shows a side surprisingly attune to the plight of women on “Daddy’s Little Girl.” For a man who launched his career with a song named “Culo” (the Spanish slang term for butt, or more crudely, ass), Mr. 305 has a surprisingly endearing song that feels genuine and also manages to be a lovely thank you to his mother and the women in his life with a demurred beat that reflects the content without being manipulative.
By far the album’s most exciting beat, “Go Girl” almost negates all of the previous effort by featuring the 305′s filthiest rapper, Trina. While Pitbull’s raps about “fuck[ing] like a porn star,” isn’t anything new or exciting, a reference to HBO’s The Wire and what can only be described as a loopy synth-flute line manages to overcome the boring content and making it a standout in spite of itself.
With Rebelution, Pitbull has showed some promise of maturity, but he has also maintained the integrity that is expected of a Miami-bass disciple. Songs like the Lil’ Jon produced “Krazy,” another single, capture the familiar sound of his previous efforts, and the mixture of Spanglish and spastic synthesizer are a perfect marriage. Songs like “Krazy” and “Go Girl” show he hasn’t lost his commercial edge, but material like “Dope Ball” and “Daddy’s Little Girl” he proves that he has a mindset beyond the club scene. Rebelution features Pitbull on the album cover, James Bond-ed out in a tuxedo with a camouflaged model next to him, reflecting the sound inside: slick, exotic, and energetic, but also a little bit “sucio,” as Pitbull himself might say.
by Rafael Gaitan
