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Pitbull sampled Toto’s ‘Africa’ for ‘Aquaman’ soundtrack, fans aren’t pleased

(L-R) Jason Momoa and Pitbull. Getty Images Archive

Rapper Armando Christian Pérez (best-known as Pitbull) dropped a new track on Thursday morning. Ocean to Ocean serves as one of 20 songs featured on the soundtrack for James Wan’s upcoming Aquaman film.

The 37-year-old even invited Torontonian up-and-comer Rhea to sing with him on what feels like a cover of Toto’s Africa. She sings the choruses word-for-word behind the sampled instrumentals which are also taken directly from the 1982 classic.

Barring Pérez’s own lyrics which are supposed to highlight the plot of the highly-anticipated film, there isn’t a great deal of originality in Ocean to Ocean — fans are livid.

WATCH BELOW: Pitbull’s Ocean to Ocean is what some are already calling “the worst song ever recorded”

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With references to rapper 2Pac, Banksy and even The Great Gatsby, Ocean to Ocean certainly lives up to its name, in the sense that it follows no direct path.

Loyal fans are disappointed in Pérez because of his “direct rip-off.” Many believe he “covered” Africa in hopes to reignite his career and gain some traction — something that American nerd-rock outfit, Weezer, successfully accomplished back in May.

Since 2013’s Man of Steel, D.C. has struggled to live up to the name of its main competitor, Marvel Studios, in terms of the big screen. Many movies, including Suicide Squad (2016) and Justice League (2017) left comic book fans with a sour taste in their mouth.

Now, Pitbull has done the same thing for many even before the film’s release — adding onto the company’s easily-tarnished reputation.

Pitbull performs onstage at iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina at AmericanAirlines Arena on Nov. 3, 2018, in Miami, Fla. Theo Wargo/Getty Images for iHeartRadio

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Pérez channels the power of Arthur Curry, or “Aquaman” in a threatening spoken-word intro. “They tried to get rid of me,” he says. “But from ocean to ocean / They are gonna have to deal with me.”

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From leading actor Jason Momoa’s point-of-view, these lyrics speak true, but from Pérez’s perspective, they fall flat according to the users of the Twitter-verse.

Here are some tweets from the loyal Pitbull fans of the world

https://twitter.com/JFitzpatrick92/status/1073356958965616641

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https://twitter.com/jakeencinas/status/1073621254136053760

“Mr. Worldwide” certainly lived up to his name after becoming a trending topic on Twitter. Unfortunately for him, fans are absolutely not impressed with his contributions to the official Aquaman soundtrack.

Some are even so shocked by this song that they have vowed not to see the movie.

Jason Momoa discusses ‘Aquaman’ with the Build Series at Build Studio on Dec. 3, 2018, in New York City. Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

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As of this writing, Pérez has not addressed the influx of hate towards Ocean to Ocean. Fans are hoping he doesn’t take it on tour either.

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Aquaman is scheduled for a Dec. 21 release. Tickets can be found through the official Cineplex website.

adam.wallis@globalnews.ca

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