Cult of Pitbull: how Mr Worldwide went global

As the singer prepares to play a sellout show at London's O2, Lydia Spencer-Elliott investigates his mystifying appeal

- 

Imagine looking out at a crowd and seeing thousands of versions of yourself. That’s the reality for Pitbull, aka Mr Worldwide, aka Mr 305, aka (as in, actually born as) Armando Christian Perez, who returns to the UK stage for the first time in almost a decade. Stroll past The O2 tonight and you’ll see a sea of female fans adorned in bald caps, tuxedos and aviators, such is the influence of Perez’s signature garb. “Without you there is no Pitbull,” he told his followers after they sold out the 20,000person capacity stadium in minutes. That holds up, kind of; without his fans, there’d certainly be fewer Pitbulls, at least.

Known for his galvanising catchphrase “dale!” (loosely translated to “let’s go!”) and hits including “Timber”, featuring Kesha, “Give Me Everything”, featuring Ne-Yo, “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” and “Don’t Stop the Party”, the 44-year-old Cuban American rapper has sold over 25 million studio albums and over 100 million singles worldwide. He’s had No 1 hits in more than 15 countries, has surpassed 14 billion YouTube views, and has 11 million adoring fans on Instagram. In a career spanning over 20 years, Pérez’s global domination shows no signs of slowing down. When his Party After Dark tour hit 26 major cities across the US last year, there wasn’t a single night where someone didn’t show up dressed in the global superstar’s image.