Hundreds of fans waited outside in the cold for hours just to hear him perform. The renowned hip-hop, rap and reggaetón artist known as Pitbull came to Seattle and performed a concert at Pier 66 last Friday night. His devoted fans, many of whom traveled from as far away as Oregon and Eastern Washington, had been vigorously anticipating Pitbull’s first concert in Seattle.

“I think that he is an outstanding artist and one of the best rappers that I know of,” freshman Surya Manickam said. “I believe that he put on a really good show.”

In addition to Pitbull, who was the headline performer, the concert also included performances by True School DJZ, the Stoned Kings, Steelo and MCs DJ Delicious and DJ Pryme.

Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Christian Pérez, has become a very prominent figure in the cultural phenomenon that is reggaetón music. On par with Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Zion y Lenox and Ivy Queen, Pitbull’s music has made a significant impact on reggaetón music and the direction the genre will be headed in the future.

The genre of reggaetón music is still relatively new compared to rap and hip-hop, but it is finally being recognized on the international music scene.

Reggaetón is a combination of strong hip-hop beats, Spanish and English rap lyrics and musical influences from merengue and electronica. Reggaetón has accumulated an extensive fan base among the Hispanic population in the United States.

The public relations company Xposure Nights Entertainment estimates that more than 1,000 people attended last Friday’s concert.

In his highly anticipated performance, Pitbull sang a compilation of songs from his three albums: M.I.A.M.I., El Mariel and The Boatlift.

Surprisingly, instead of using a house band for the concert, he brought his own three-person band, which included a DJ and two drummers. A Pitbull concert would not have been complete without hearing his most famous songs, “Dammit Man,” “Toma,” “Culo” and “The Anthem.”

Similar to those of other rappers and hip-hop singers, the lyrics in many of Pitbull’s songs are considered misogynistic and contain strong sexual overtones.

“He is a little bit explicit in his lyrics and the way he treats women is a little bit derogatory,” Manickam said. “I don’t think he is saying that men should treat women ‘this way,’ but it is just to get his fans hyped up and excited.”

Pitbull knew how to work the crowd and give it exactly what it wanted from a concert.

“Pitbull was full of energy,” freshman Jennifer Tsui said. “He got the crowd going and sounded great, which is really important because there are a lot of artists that can’t sing once they perform live.”

Even though the concert lasted approximately three hours, some fans were frustrated that Pitbull was late getting on stage and was only on stage for a very short period of time.

“I liked it [the concert], but I thought it was a little ridiculous that we paid $45 and Pitbull only preformed for 43 minutes,” freshman Kathy Anderson said. “That’s more than $1 a minute.”

Furthermore, employees working the event commented that Pitbull was being paid approximately $40,000-$50,000 for his performance; given his relatively short performance, he was paid nearly $1,000 per minute. At the end, many of his devoted fans looked satisfied with his performance, but they were left still wanting more from him.

At the end of the concert, Pitbull spoke very openly and honestly to the audience. He talked about how people from all different Hispanic countries, such as Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Ecuador, should become united together.

“Cuando estamos juntos, tenemos todo el poder,” Pitbull said. Translated into English, he said, “When we are together, we have all the power.” Since relations between different Latino cultures have historically been tumultuous and problematic, Pitbull’s words of unity may help to bring about a turning point for the Latino community as a whole.

Even though this was his first visit to Seattle, Pitbull left a huge impression on his audience, one that will not soon be forgotten.