Once upon time it seemed like Pitbull was possibly just too Miami to make sense anywhere else. Well, we were wrong to think that. His blend of Little Havana swagger, dance beats, and lusty raps went truly global last year with the success "Calle Ocho (I Know You Want Me). His role as a major player in hip-hop (and pop, in general) was further cemented by his two separate performances on last night's VH1 Hip-Hop Honors show.
More proof that he's truly now Mr. Worldwide: Pit's scored the official mascot song for this year's World Cup. Um we didn't know the mascot -- which this year is a cartoon cheetah with an inexplicable head of green hair -- got its own song. The anthropomorphic mascot apparently has a name too: Zakumi!
Anyways, whatever, Zakumi's song still gets played at all the games, and will appear on Listen Up! The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Album™. All of Sony's net profits from sales of the album go to various Africa-related charities. All of FIFA's net profits from it go to building 20 Football for Hope centers across the continent, which provide education, football (soccer) leagues, and public health services.
The track's called "Game On," and in a dizzyingly global twist, on it Pit gets some help from a couple other international artists: South African kwaito group TKZee, and U.K. producer Dario G. Again, it's a crazily uptempo, synth-heavy dance-rap stylistic mash-up. Hit the jump to listen to the song.
