Pitbull's show tomorrow night in Oklahoma at the Winstar World Casino is sold out, it has been that way for months, and this tells us something. He's not going away. No matter how much we want him to.
But, why? In the world of pop music with some exceptions, everyone is disposable. It's the genre that gave us the one hit wonder. But despite the fluid nature of the genre Pitbull's been on top of the world since 2009.
Honestly, it's most likely because he's a signifier of a coming change. We have had blips of Latino culture take over before (Ricky Martin, please stand up), but Pitbull might be the one that doesn't just pop up for bit. If he has his way, he'll be the one that takes over; in his dreams he's going to do it Big Willy style.
During the 2012 press tour for Men in Black III, Pitbull, who did the film's single, commented on how much he respects Big Willy (that would be film super star, and father to crazy Will Smith to you laymen) and his career path, and how he wants to emulate it. This is real, people; are you ready for Pitbull, film super star? (Note: there is no way this happens unless he takes over for Paul Walker in the Fast series, thus leading that series to break the $2 Billion mark.)
Is it changing demographics? Of course it is. Latinos are literally taking over (run, white people, run!) and therefore their taste in music is having a wider impact on popular culture. Pitbull sells out everywhere he plays, Selena Gomez is somehow more searched than the actual Selena, and the real Selena has been dominating Buzzfeed for two straight months. We have the facts, and we're voting Latino with our music choices.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. With shifting population demographics and economic growth, there will be more and more minorities entering the middle class. With that comes more opportunities to explore the arts and more Latinos making a push into the music industry through their work. That also means supporting of the work of others, ergo that we should see more Latinos on modern pop radio soon.
And, yes, Pitbull's music is terrible, but much like Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez said in her Golden Globe speech after her landmark win, this is "a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes." And many see Pitbull's success and declare him a hero. We've done this previously with Latino artists like Santana, the most successful Latino musician before Pitbull.
I say we because I am a Latino, and I work in the journalistic field, specifically one that delves into music, and I have to admit that I like Pitbull. No, not his music, but his unparalleled optimism, and his ability to unite a diverse community. Pitbull is Cuban, but he's been able to grab an audience comprised of South, Central and North American Latinos.
He's beloved, because represents the dream of succeeding in America at the highest level. He's the son of an immigrant family who started from the bottom and made it to the top. Pitbull is literally the American Dream, and that's why Winstar is sold out, and why he's not leaving the cultural consciousness anytime soon. We have our success story, we're gonna push him as far as he goes, while waiting for the next one to appear. Dalé!
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