LT: You’re considered a reggaeton and a hip-hop artist. What do you enjoy most about wearing both of those hats?
Pitbull: To be honest with you I try not to wear the reggaeton hat for the simple fact that it’s really not my movement; I just happen to be a part of it. I would consider myself more hip-hop. I have the ability to cross over to different genres whether it be dancehall, reggaeton, or crunk. Whatever you call it at the end of the day, I just call it music. 

LT: Are there any common misconceptions you face regarding your music?
Pitbull: There’s always misconceptions. I have a slogan I live by, which is: I’m too Latin for hiphop, I’m too hip-hop for Latin. So sometimes it puts me in a vacuum where I can’t enjoy the fruits of my labor sometimes [because of ] those who handle categories and award shows maybe don’t understand my movement yet. But it’s beautiful because sooner or later they’ve gotta give me my own category.

LT: On the West Coast there’s a little bit of tension on the streets between black and brown. In your opinion, how can hip-hop help combat such a complicated issue?
Pitbull: I think hip-hop has done nothing but combat that, to be honest with you. Hip-hop has always been a great source to unite people and cultures. There’s always going to be some type of problems, but at the end of the day what you have to do is [unite].

LT: What’s the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?
Pitbull: I’m thinking, “Where’s my phone so I can see what I gotta do?” (laughs)

LT: What do you do to relax?
Pitbull: To relax, I usually go to the Dominican Republic. I go out there and I relax for a couple of days. I kick back for about two or three days and boom, back on the grind. It’s motivational.

LT: Do you have any words of advice for our readers for success in life?
Pitbull: I always say patience, passion, and perseverance equals success. If it comes quick, it’s gonna leave quicker. Believe me, it’s gonna be a whole lot sweeter when you know that you worked for it. Whether it be a doctor, a lawyer, police officer, or artist. Whatever you want to be. Just know that anyone that’s successful worked real hard to get where they’re at, it didn’t come easy.