Pitbull Talks Drug Abuse, Homelessness + Learning From His Mother

Pitbull has become one of kings of hip-hop in part because he had a great mother who served up a dose of tough love when he started getting involved with drugs on the streets of Miami. The rapper credits his mom for helping to build his character after she kicked him out of the house during his teenage years for using drugs.

"She said, 'Grab what you can in 20 minutes and get out!'" the rapper recalls in an interview with 'Access Hollywood.' "I respect my mom. My mom is my father and my mother, and she's the one that has made me a man. And at the same time, why I respected that when she told me that was because she spoke very clearly with me and I broke the deal. She goes, 'I understand that you're gonna be out here, due to the neighborhood that we live in and you're gonna be dibbling and dabbling, whatever, but there's one thing that I don't want you to do and that's be involved with this type of substance or product,' and I did."

Pitbull says he wasn't a bad kid, but adds, "I always said, 'I'm not a troublemaker, but I was always around some trouble.'" Pitbull also cites his lyric from 'Give Me Everything,' in which he raps, "I took my life from a negative to a positive / I just want y'all to know that," as evidence that he hasn't forgotten his journey from a regular kid living in a troubled neighborhood to Mr. Worldwide, hip-hop superstar.

The rapper's latest album, 'Global Warming,' hit stores yesterday and features his current hit 'Don't Stop the Party,' plus collaborations with Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez and the Wanted.