How Pitbull Hopes to Inspire Other Latinxs and Give Back to His Community (Exclusive)
Pitbull is ready to expand his empire and continue to be an example to all.
ET was with Mr. Worldwide at his Hand and Footprint Ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Friday, where he shared a message to his Latinx fans who want to achieve his level of success.
"For all the Latinos that are out there trying to achieve a dream, keep fighting. Keep moving forward and upward," the "Timber" rapper told ET in Spanish. "Don't look back, small steps and always look ahead and hopefully I can be an example that motivates and inspires them. I tell everyone, 'Why dream it, when you can live it?'"
"We are a very strong culture and one way or another, we always create solutions," he added.
The 37-year-old rapper has opened up a variety of charter schools -- SLAM Sports Leadership and Management -- around the country since 2013. For 2019, he hopes to create even more locations where people can go and get an education.
"For 2019, the goal that we put out there was generation of wealth. It's going to be volcanic," he expressed. "But right now, the real revolution is education. We get a chance to build schools all over the United States of America, and now we are up to 10 schools with SLAM. Within the next three to 50 years, maybe [we'll have] 20 to 25 schools. And that, to me, is what I am passionate about."
During his emotional acceptance speech, Pitbull thanked his fans as well as his family for believing in him and getting him to where he is now.
"I want to say for being a first generation Cuban-American, that has taken full advantage of what the freedom of the United States of America is and how you can be the epitome of the American Dream, I want you to take this as an example," he said. "Because anybody tells you that you can't, that you won't, that it's impossible, I tell everybody every time, the word can't is can, and the word don't is do, and the word won't is won and the word impossible is possible."
"There is no way I would be up here if it wasn't for abuelita, my grandmother, mi tia, my aunt, my superhero of a mom, mami," he continued. "A mi papá, and to my whole family that struggled real hard for me to have the opportunity to be born here in the United States of America."
Following his speech, Pitbull also told ET: "More than anything, thank you to the fans because without you there is no Pitbull. No movement. No revolution. So just to be a part of history in Hollywood, why dream when you can live it?"
Reporting by Grecia Lopez.
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