Cuban-American Rapper and MC Pitbull Entertains Troops on USO Tour to Korea and Okinawa

Photos: PRNewsFoto/USO World Headquarters

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bilingual rapper Armando Perez, best known by his stage name Pitbull, just wrapped up his journey to Korea and Okinawa, where he performed for troops as part of a USO tour. This was the first USO tour for Pitbull, who brought his lyrical prowess and infectious sound to the region. Singer newcomer Mark Daniel opened for the star while on tour.

Surrounded by some of the biggest names in rap music, Pitbull has appeared in an array of hit songs including "Salt Shaker" by the Ying Yang Twins, "Promiscuous" with Nelly Furtado and Timbaland, and "Lovers and Friends" by Lil' Jon and the East Side Boyz. He has also collaborated with artists involved in reggaeton, a form of urban music that blends Jamaican and Latin American music influences, having lent his talents to hot singles like "Gasolina" with Daddy Yankee and Noreaga, "Muevete" by Yaga and Mackie Rank, among many others.

"Performing for the troops and their families on this USO tour was nothing short of amazing," says Pitbull. "The troops over there are so full of energy and love. I am genuinely thankful for everthing they are doing for us back home and am truly honored to have performed for them."

A native of Florida, Pitbull released his debut album "M.I.A.M.I.: Money Is A Major Issue" in 2004, which yielded hits like "Culo" and "Toma." The album spent 27 weeks on "Billboard's Top Independent Albums" chart and was certified gold after it sold more than 500,000 copies. Pitbull then released his highly anticipated albums, "El Mariel" and "The Boatlift." Adding to his list of credits, he hosts "La Esquina" on Telemundo's sister network mun2, and is featured as one of Tony Montana's henchmen in the video game "Scarface: The World Is Yours."

Born and raised in Southern California, Daniel discovered his passion and talent for singing at the age of 3. Having studied with the best vocal coaches in the industry and worked alongside Grammy Award-winning Dallas Austin, his debut album will drop in the fall of 2007.

This tour continued the USO's tradition of bringing celebrities to troops serving away from home. In 2006, celebrity entertainers traveled to 26 countries and 13 states, entertaining more than 184,000 service men and women and their families.

AT&T, Inc. and Armed Forces Entertainment were the official sponsors of this USO entertainment tour. For a list of recent and upcoming USO tours, visit http://www.uso.org/whatwedo/entertainment/. To learn more about the USO or how to support the troops, visit http://www.uso.org/.

For more than 66 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has been providing morale, welfare and recreational services to U.S. military personnel and their families. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of the American people to support its programs and services. The USO is supported by Worldwide Strategic Partners AT&T Inc., BAE Systems North America, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, DRS Technologies, Inc., Military Channel, S & K Sales Co., TriWest Healthcare Alliance and The Walt Disney Company. Other corporate donors, including the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381), have joined thousands of individual donors to support the USO.

For more information on the USO, please visit our Web site at http://www.uso.org/.