closed off to most for so long, sleeping, a 50-year nightmare for many of its citizens finally maybe waking up. to what? time will tell. ♪ welcome, everybody! >> one part performer. ♪ >> one part epic party host. 100% pure pitbull. the international hitmaker -- >> when i say mr. worldwide, it's because i'm all around the world. >> performing to sold-out arenas around the globe. >> now i've got to think, maybe another name, mr. planet. >> a one-time hustler. >> i've never been a gangster, but i've been a hustler. >> turned humanitarian. >> this is changing the world, little by little. >> the underdog's ascent from wrapping on miami streets. >> i don't want mess around with

words. >> to the center of the world stage. tonight, "cnn spotlight: pitbull." hello, everybody, i'm nischelle turner. pitbull's rise as an artist is really the american classic tale of hard work, ambition, and big dreams. the son of cuban immigrants whose sound is shaped by the streets of miami. the story of armando christian perez starts here. >> welcome to my city. >> as jay-z is to brooklyn, pitbull is to miami. >> they call it the magic city. and what makes it so magical to me is what it's done in such a short period of time. >> pitbull had his own magic ride, from troubled teen to hit machine in just about a decade. so popular globally. ♪

>> he's won of few artists ever invited to write a world cup anthem. he opened the tournament with a new sock. ♪ it's my world, your world ♪ and we invite the whole world to play ♪ >> i just to perform right down there. >> from the top of miami's freedom tower, there's a view of the path armando perez followed to become pitbull, the pop star. in your early life, here in miami, is it safe to say that it was rough? >> yeah, i would say it was, more than anything, interesting. you're talking about the '80s in miami. everybody was involved, i would say, in extracurricular activities. >> everyone, including armando's father. for a time in his teens, armando follows his father's footsteps into drug dealing. >> i've never been a thug, i've never been a gangster, but i've been a hustler. >> but armando's cuben expatriate dad imparts some useful lessons too.

in miami's little havana, he encourages the boy to recite the works of cuban poet, jose martine. >> that was the first time i've seen how powerful words were. so being five years old and being able to move a bar full of people over one poem, it was definitely mind blowing for me, obviously, but it also shows me what my mother has always told me, the pen is mightier than the sword. >> armando's mother, always a strong presence in his life, tries to steer him away from the drug trade, pervasive in the neighborhoods of his youth. >> when did it come to you to say, you know what, this ain't the life? i'm not about this life. >> a transaction was made, and me being greedy, okay, i was maybe 17, and i had did something to the product, that i shouldn't have done. and i almost killed that person, over $20. so i said.

if i could do this to somebody like that, this isn't right. >> the experience profoundly impacts armando. he turns away from the hustle and toward rapping. >> i was moving through so many neighborhoods and so many different schools, i was building a name for myself and picking up different styles where i would go. >> a teacher at miami's coral parks senior high takes notice. >> she said, you got talent. i didn't understand what it was when somebody tells you you've got talent, other than your mom. your mom says you've got talent. okay, mom. but my mother was right. >> their encouragement pushes armando to nurture his musical talent. mom's motivational move. >> when she could take me to school, she would put in anthony robbins tapes. it motivated me subliminally. i didn't what was going on. i go to touch my mother's radio, did you pay for this car? no? don't touch my radio. >> after graduating from school, armando pursues his music full-time.

>> he's make really hard miami street rap at that point. >> street rap on a rough road as a rare latin rapper on the scene. armando chooses the stage name, pitbull, out of admiration of the fighting spirit of the breed. >> people say you can't, you won't, you never will. those kind of things turn me on. no is great, i love no, because i know i'm going to get to a yes, one way or another. >> pitbull! >> as pitbull, armando builds a massive miami following. he picks up the moniker, mr. 305 after the city's area code. ♪ >> the cuban and caribbean flavors of his hometown, peppered with colorful slang, influence the sound of pitbull's 2004 debut solo album, "miami."

>> if it wasn't for that atmosphere, i couldn't have started my musical career. >> three more albums follow. pitbull's music matures and so does his image. baggy pants and baseball caps are traded for tightly tailored suits. >> what i've shown is evolution through the music business. and people say, why don't you make music for the street anymore? and i'm like, i made music to get out of the street, not stay in the street. how come you putting on these suits now, chico? this shows maturity, growth, evolution. this is what i want to teach y'all. this is what this music is about. about. this is what this journey is about. >> in 2009, pitbull's journey has him moving up the charts. hollywood reporter music editor, shirley halperin. >> i think when "i know you want

me" came out, it sort of took him out of being mr. 305 to being mr. worldwide. >> in an interview with cnn, as the song is hitting its peak, pit bull credits his growing success to good old-fashioned dedication. >> i've gotten a chance to do it, like they did back in the day. they went city to city, club to club, lounge to lounge, building a foundation, building loyal fans. >> coming up -- ♪ >> pitbull's hard work pays off. and miami's hometown hero catapults to superstar status. ♪ they call me mr. worldwide there was like an eruption on my skin. red and puffy and itchy and burning. i'd lift my arm and the pain back here was excruciating. i couldn't lift my arms to drum or to dance.

when i was drumming and moving my rib cage and my arms like this it hurt across here. when i went to the doctor and said what's happening to me his first question was "did you have chickenpox?" i didn't even really know what shingles was. i thought it was something that, you know, old people got. i didn't want to have clothes on. i didn't want to have clothes off. if someone asked me "let's go dancing" that would have been impossible.

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♪ 2010. pitbull's distinct sound is in demand. ♪

he's collaborating with top artists like usher -- enrique iglesias. ♪ and jennifer lopez. >> you've been called the king of collaborations. do you like, i knew that -- you don't love that? >> for me, i'm not the king of anything, to be honest with you. collaborations, they looked at me, and the movement that we've had. if it's something knew, you dwru up in hip hop, everybody us collaborating. they're still collaborating, i just call it global music. ♪ >> his global music really resonates in 2011's "give me everything." ♪ giving pitbull his first number one song. >> i think when it comes to his collaborations, he's very strategic about it.

i think he's very smart. >> he's also very admired by the artists he teams up with. >> there's something about a man who, at every turn, shows up with a suit on. and will sweat for two hours in it. i mean, he's committed, man. >> he's really creative and really enthusiastic and energetic and humble. ♪ >> he just knows how to channel the heat of an artist, into a collaboration that would work for both audiences. >> collaborating to me is so key, why? because you're bringing everybody's people together. and you're doing what music is supposed to do. break down boundaries, release barriers. that's what makes this power.

so the more people i get a chance to collaborate, the more people we get to touch. >> pitbull expands his reach in 2012 with global warming. >> the demo that we skewer, the people we speak to, yes, it's very special and a wide range. >> hey, how you doing? everything going great? you have granddaughter who is dance to me, obviously down to the granddaughters. >> his performances are a mix of spanish and english. >> when it's organic, it's natural and it's fun, you know, people really understand the language and it's all about the way you deliver it. ♪ >> he has figured out what will speak to everybody. and that's a very unique characteristic for a pop artist, to be able to bridge that many

different kinds of people, just with your music. he's really sort of touched on this magic sauce. >> pitbull's sauce is cooked up in an uncommon creative process. he writes and records when and wherever the moment strikes. >> reporting live from the tallest building in tokyo. >> this session turned boo a top track with christina aguilera. >> reporting live from the tallest building in tokyo. >> feeling the moment is a frequent theme in pitbull's music. ♪ >> there's definitely an element of his music that's very escapist. ♪ and it really is about just sort of losing yourself in the dance and the moment and the beat. >> his songs are like the soundtrack to an over the top party.

♪ and everyone's invited. ♪ >> your music is known by a lot of people as party music. >> good. >> you want to do that? it's feel-good music. >> absolutely. >> when you make this music that makes everybody feel good, that is the goal of the show. you come see me, an hour and a half to two hours, i want you to escape. no mortgage, no bills, no baby mama drama, no child support, no economy messed up, no war, you know? no terrorists. just come here, lose your mind, and enjoy. so my show is almost like a motivational speech, it's there to inspire, show you everything i've got, and show you i came from nothing too, and when you leave here, go out there and get 'em. >> pitbull certainly raps about

partying a lot and certainly haves a good time in life. but i think it's time to get the work done, he's all about focus. ♪ >> pitbull's music business is booming. ♪ >> his single "timber" featuring ke$ha has been a number one hit in 15 countries. his videos have been watched on youtube more than 3 billion times. >> i feel like he has tapped into something, where he knows that he's grabbing you with that hook. ♪ >> combining country and folk influences with a hip hop dance beat, "timber" pulls off a trick pitbull has come to master. >> his reputation as an artist is that he's good at making crossover pop hits. ♪ >> he's got another one in "wild, wild love."

>> as long as pitbull keeps doing what he's really gotten very good at, which is traveling the world and picking up new sounds and sort of importing them to the u.s., i really don't see this string of hits stopping anytime soon. >> pitbull's not resting on his success. >> give me a drop on -- right there. >> you put yourself on a pedestal, you're going to plateau. you know, you put yourself on a mountain peak, you're going to fall. >> now i need the hook part after my verse. >> i always use the saying, because it's true, if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. and i know where i'm from and i love it and enjoy it, i wear it on my chest, everywhere i go, everybody knows, mr. 305, dade county boy, represents. when i say mr. worldwide, jim i'm all around the world, maybe

i need to think of another name, like mr. planet or something. >> mr. pluto. mr. neptune. >> i'll have to jump on a plane with branson. >> exactly! >> back on tour. coming up -- >> welcome to my city. >> mr. worldwide back home in miami. his billion-dollar business and his priceless passion project. ♪ and burning. i'd lift my arm and the pain back here was excruciating. when i went to the doctor his first question was "did you have chickenpox?" i thought it was something that, you know, old people got.

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♪ >> there it is. >> meeting is pitbull, who offstage goes by armando christian perez, you quickly sense his love for his hometown and his cuban culture. >> it's a little bit breathtaking. >> very breathtaking. >> we meet in miami's freedom tower, a building where thousands of cuban refugees were processed for immigration in the 1960s. we're in a place right now, the freedom tower, today, that means the world to the cuban american population. what does it mean -- >> mean exactly? yeah, freedom. it's a word that i don't think we appreciate that much. and for those that didn't have

it and then get it, and they do exactly what they're supposed to do with that word, create their own destiny, build opportunity, use the freedom that this beautiful country gives to us, that's what this is about. >> it's that cuban american sense of opportunity and obligation that seem to drive armando's ambition. >> being cuban, a lot of our mentality's like that, meaning, we'll start making the sandwiches and then we'll own the restaurant. we'll clean the shoes and then own the shoe store. we clean the house then own the house. >> the house of pitbull is impressive. he estimates he has close to 70 million followers on social media. that and an international fan base makes him hugely attractive to advertisers. >> one thing that he says over and over again is, don't put me out in front of your brand as representing the latin market, because i am the worldwide market. >> his portfolio includes

partnerships with kodak, vodka, bud light, and dodge, among others. >> he's perfect. >> he has that fragrance line for men and women. ownership in a restaurant franchise, and most recently, a deal with playboy enterprises to partner on projects. >> he's used these companies to help break his songs. he has taken an equity interest in the vodka company, so he's more invested in it than just being a spokesperson. >> looking ahead, armando soon kicks off a concert tour with enrique iglesias. he's got his own tv development company, and a new deal to host a nationally televised new year's eve party from miami. >> he's someone who's not going to stop until he takes over the entire world. >> he's on his way to doing that. pitbull opened the world cup with a performance of this year's official theme song. ♪ >> we're trying to bring people

together. and to me the world cup is the beginning of that journey. all of this an a dream. the world cup is just the beginning. >> to hook up with the world cup is the biggest global audience that you can get. >> but the audience closest to armando's heart is found at a school in miami's inner city. sports leadership and management academy, or s.l.a.m. is a charter school with a sports themed curriculum armando helped create. he advocates for the school and motivates its students. >> do you guys know pitbull? you see him around a little bit? >> yes. >> that takes morals, right? >> the reason that it's so special is because they are me. you know? and i can go down the line on those kids and probably just sit with one, and i say, don't even talk to me. i'm going to tell you what's going on in your house right now. i know, i feel you.

been there, done that. if we catch them at that age, mold their minds, teach them what it is to be motivated, self-inspired, believe in themselves. because coming from the neighborhoods that we came from, nobody believes in us. this is changing the world, literally. little, by little. >> his message is always positive. it's always about education. you need to study, you need to be good for yourself. don't let anybody tell you that you can't do it. and the students really thrive on that. >> we're in the inner city, we're the toughest part of town, and it's just beautiful to see all these kids here, thriving. and as motivated as they are. >> armando's drive to inspire, to make music, to live up to his mr. worldwide moniker, all originate with the same goal. making his cuban american community proud. >> there's nothing like walking down the street and a little old lady comes to you and says, "my little son," come here, "you are

what makes us proud out there." you keep doing what you do. an 85-year-old woman telling you that. that means the world to me. because now i know that we're making the right decisions and they know that i'm not perfect. they know my story. >> there's one more chapter armando hopes to include in the story of pitbull. a concert performance in a free cuba. >> when cuba opens, i can perform. when i can do that, oh, man, first of all, you're going to have to stop me from crying up there. and it will be worth everything, everything. ♪ why you think they call me mr. worldwide? ♪ >> from miami to the world cup in rio and another international tour, mr. 305 has indeed become mr. worldwide.

thanks for watching, everybody. i'm nischelle turner. good night. tonight on "unguarded with rachael nichols." unwavering, america's soccer darlings discuss their plans to push through their next match. >> we have quality on this team and i wouldn't be surprised if we can go to the finals. >> plus, the latest on the dazzling play from mexico. unfinished. after nearly two decades as the face of major league baseball, derek jeter reveals what's looming for him in retirement. >> well, my first plan is no plan. i've been on a schedule pretty much my entire life. >> unusual. apparently exiled from the nfl, the man formerly known as ocho sinko gives an exclusive tour of his new home north of the border. >> this is me having to go from the bottom up. and if it has to be the cfl, so be it. because all i want to do is play