On Disc: Pitbull

The Boatlift, classified as reggaeton, crunk and Latin rap, is simply mainstream.

Starting off with his 2004 record, M.I.A.M.I.: Money Is A Major Issue, Pitbull controlled the Cuban charts. Now, with his fourth record, Pitbull’s party rap reputation has grown continentally. But will this album make this multi-lingual hustler a household name in Canada?

Aside from the fact the record’s title denotes the Mariel boatlift that brought 125,000 refugees to southern Florida from Port of Mariel, Cuba, this record talks little about politics. But clearly politics aren’t everything, as his shallow lyrics like “I got the sticky icky icky icky,” score him decent radio and MTV air.

His Dominican influence helped him spin some solid remixes, such as “The Anthem” and “Fuego” featuring Lil Jon and Don Omar respectively. This record is a dynamic mix of clubbanger and R&B, but in his attempt to expand his musical repertoire, Pitbull misses the mark towards the end of the program with songs such as “Stripper Pole.”

The Boatlift certainly doesn’t make you want to quit drugs, get an education or change the world, but can you rub against someone to these beats at The Frog on Wednesday nights? Yeah, that’s about it.