Friday, August 04, 2006

Pitbull Takes Shots At Fidel Castro, "I'm Hoping He's Dead"

Miami rapper Pitbull is celebrating that Cuban dictator Fidel Castro is no longer in power... so much so that he recently recorded the song "Ya Se Acabo" (It's Over) which he posted yesterday on his website and MySpace page.
Pitbull, born Armando Pérez, is of Cuban descent; his latest song was inspired by the July 31st announcement that Cuban leader Fidel Castro had released power to his younger brother Raul Castro. Pitbull reportedly headed straight into the studio at 11:00 pm the evening of the 31st to record "Ya Se Acabo," which celebrates the change in power.
While Pitbull has expressed his political views in the past - having been a vocal in interviews about his opposition to Fidel Castro and even contributing to a New York Post essay criticizing the iconization of Che Guevara, the lyrics of "Ya Se Acabo" were clearly intended for the many Cuban-Americans who left Cuba behind rather than live under Castro's leadership.
The lyrics - rapped over an Afro Cuban beat include, "It's like a dream, now people can be free. No more 90-mile trips to the Keys. No more risking your life for freedom. I'm hoping he's dead because we don't need him."
The chorus of the song alternates between chanting "Hasta Luego" (Goodbye) and "El tiempo tuyo ya pasó" (Your time has passed).
"Ya Se Acabo" is already receiving heavy airplay on Miami
radio.
Pitbull is planning to release his next album El Mariel on September 12th. The album includes guest appearances from Twista, Mario and Diddy and production from Lil Jon, DJ Khaled, Mr. Collipark, Pharrell, Jim Jonson and the Diaz Bros. Pitbull took the title El Mariel from the place where 124,000 Cuban immigrants entered the U.S. onboard boats. Pitbull also plans to release a Spanish language version of El Mariel with the three singles and twelve Spanish only tracks.