ARMANDO CHRISTIAN Pérez

ENTERTAINER, MIAMI

You know him better as “Pitbull.” The Miami-born and Miami-based rapper, pop singer and musician is a Miami icon whose business empire, philanthropy and educational initiatives have an increasingly wide reach in his hometown. For starters, “Mr. 305” — nicknamed for Miami's area code — has entered into a partnership with Florida International University Athletics. The 10-year deal, which began in 2024, rebranded FIU Stadium as Pitbull Stadium, making it the world's first athletics venue with an artist possessing the naming rights. Also, he's currently working to get permits to build a “boutique office building” on the site of one of his childhood homes in Miami's Wynwood district that'll be the headquarters of his independent record label, Mr. 305 Records. Determined to help the Latino community in his hometown, Pitbull's philanthropic focus is closing the poverty gap through educational initiatives. He founded the first Sports, Leadership, Arts and Management (SLAM!) tuition-free public charter school in 2013 in Miami's Little Havana, another neighborhood where he grew up. SLAM! now serves nearly 10,000 students across 14 schools in five states. Born to Cuban immigrant parents (his family has a history of fighting the Castro regime), he learned English by watching “Sesame Street” as a child. Today the Grammy winner and chart topper is a global sensation with 13 albums who has sold 25 million records and racked up more than 15 billion views on YouTube, and who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.