As Pitbull’s first release under his new label (Mr. 305 Inc.), “Rebelution” was a career move that just might hurt him more than help.
On this album, Pitbull decided that it was best to become more commercial in order to sell more, and make pop or dance tunes rather than stick to his old formula of Spanish-inspired hip-hop. He tried to incorporate it, but he wasn’t able to capture where he came from the way he did on his previous albums. In fact, the concept of being a “Rebel” may possibly be him breaking from that old style that he is known for, and following the new trends that have emerged in the music world.
Out of the fourteen tracks, there are only five songs that one can sit down and listen to for the rest demand the listener to take their place on the dance floor. Because of this, Pitbull became rather lazy with his lyrics, seeing how his audience is going to be too busy working up a sweat to pay attention to what he is saying. Few songs really stuck out, and honestly, he follows the hip-hop trend of redundancy.
He introduces his album with the song “Triumph,” featuring Avery Storm, in which he tells his story of rags to riches. It is an inspirational piece, and probably one of the best on the CD. That is, following “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho),” his hit single that can cause even the elderly to start shaking their hip replacements. Pitbull doesn’t display his lyrical talent until track six (“Dope Ball”), where we see him take a giant metaphor and run with it for about a minute and thirty seconds.
The following track, “Can’t Stop Me Now”, has a rock/pop vibe to it that may remind listeners of The White Stripes, and is probably one of the more original instrumentals on the entire album.
We are made aware of Pitbull’s sexual expeditions on track 12, a personal favorite because the instrumental is phenomenally great. Pitbull changes his flow, which is hardly seen on any other song. He then decides to give singing-while-using-auto-tune a try on his 13th track (“Across the World”), but rapping is his forte, so he needs to stick to that.
He ends his album with a heart-warming song called “Daddy’s Little Girl,” dedicated to the women who have lost their way in life. It was a nice way to end a decent album because it provided evidence that Pitbull sees women beyond what they can do for him sexually.
Overall, this album does not compare to his previous works. In fact, his dedicated fans may be a bit disappointed at his new sound. The pop/techno vibe is not something listeners will find appealing when trying to relax.
This is an album that is meant to be heard at a party scene, and practically nowhere else.
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