The day began with Buenos Días con Visit Miami: Where Music Lives, featuring musician IAmChino and Connie W. Kinnard, Senior Vice President of Destination Engagement for the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. Presented by Visit Miami, the conversation about Miami’s impact as the epicenter of Latin music was moderated by Billboard‘s co-chief content officer Leila Cobo.
IAmChino, who produced Pitbull’s hit “Damn I Love Miami,” noted that the city is present throughout the song. “The chorus says it; I think everyone loves the 305,” he said, referring to Miami’s area code. “The type of style of the track is Miami up tempo, move shake drop.”
This year, “Damn I Love Miami” reached No. 6 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart, No. 20 on Pop Airplay and No. 13 on Hot Rap Songs, in addition to appearing on the Hot 100.
“This song is six years old, but the power of social media brought it back,” he added. “We worked on the original version of the song, and then Lil Jon got involved. It was originally in the soundtrack of Fast & Furious, but it got picked up on TikTok and social media. We made some new arrangements, but it’s pretty close to the original track.”
Kinnard, meanwhile, spoke about what makes Miami “special.”
“Miami inspires our culture to support writers, producers, video creation and sound. I believe Miami is a unique place because our culture helps create the music you hear. There’s no place like Miami,” she said. “We help share those stories, but we also want people to remember that we have music here, too. We promote, encourage… it’s about driving activity in our community, sharing a vision, and creating memorable moments.”
IAmChino also presented a snippet of the music video for “Gringa Repartera,” a collaboration between Pitbull and Gente de Zona featured on Mr. Worldwide’s new album, PITCOIN, released on Oct. 9.
