{"id":684969,"date":"2026-07-10T21:44:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T21:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/684969\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T21:44:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T21:44:06","slug":"rapper-pitbull-and-fans-set-bald-cap-guinness-world-record-at-london-show-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/684969\/","title":{"rendered":"Rapper Pitbull and fans set \u2018bald cap\u2019 Guinness World Record at London show | Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

A tight plastic cap is not an attractive option for protective headwear in 30C (86F) heat. Yet 22,141 people opted for just that \u2013 along with a white shirt, black tie and aviator sunglasses \u2013 in Hyde Park, London<\/a>, on Friday afternoon. It was both a homage to the rapper Pitbull, the night\u2019s headliner at the BST festival, and part of setting a Guinness World Record for the \u201clargest gathering of people wearing bald caps\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m speechless. Who would have thought a first-generation Cuban would be record-breaking and record-making?\u201d said the rapper, accepting the award in an all-black suit.<\/p>\n

Pitbull, a bald man, had to put on a cap to count towards the record himself. According to Will Munford, an official adjudicator for Guinness World Records<\/a>, it was not a record for the \u201clargest gathering of bald people\u201d, so for Mr Worldwide (the rapper\u2019s nickname) to be counted he had \u201cto wear a bald cap to be in the record number\u201d.<\/p>\n

In order to ensure an accurate result, Munford said there were \u201c400 volunteers to individually check people\u201d at the entrance and onsite, and \u201cdrone footage with 42 counters backstage\u201d.<\/p>\n

Pitbull was presented with a Guinness World Record certificate before his performance on Friday. Photograph: David Parry\/PA<\/p>\n

Such was the demand for the caps in the lead-up to the gig that many were left scrambling at the last minute. \u201cI went to three different fancy dress shops this week and they were all sold out,\u201d said Lucy, 30, who came with her best friend, Hannah, to see Pitbull for her third time.<\/p>\n

She had worried they\u2019d \u201cstick out like a sore thumb\u201d if they were \u201cthe only people in a sea of bald caps without one. It feels like an inside joke with 60,000 people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea for the world record attempt did not come from Pitbull, BST or the Guinness World Records. It started with a fan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis whole thing is happening because of me,\u201d joked Jack Remmington, a podcast host and cultural commenter. When BST announced Pitbull\u2019s performance last year, Remmington posted a \u201ctongue-in-cheek\u201d TikTok video<\/a> suggesting that the 65,000-person capacity of BST was \u201ceasily enough to break the world record of people cosplaying as Pitbull\u201d.<\/p>\n

The video went viral and soon Remmington was in contact with Guinness World Records and on BBC Radio 1 with Greg James as they texted Pitbull to ask if he would be up for the challenge. Mr Worldwide gamely replied: \u201cDale!\u201d (Spanish for \u201chit it\u201d or \u201cgo ahead\u201d, and the title of one of his albums).<\/p>\n

Pitbull has nicknamed his fans the \u2018baldies\u2019 as many turn up to his shows worldwide dressed like him; official bald caps are sold on his website. Photograph: Matthew Baker\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The record is \u201cnot novelty\u201d, said Munford. The decision to officiate the attempt was made partly because of the sheer number of people involved to make it happen, but also because \u201ca lot of people get to take part in record-breaking that wouldn\u2019t have had the chance to in the past\u201d. It also helped that there was a pre-existing grassroots internet community committed to dressing up like Pitbull.<\/p>\n

The trend of Pitbull mimicry started in 2021 with just a few fans showing up as playful lookalikes. Thanks to a few viral videos on social media it quickly exploded into a massive fan movement whereby it is now simply par for the course to show up to Mr Worldwide\u2019s show dressed like him.<\/p>\n

The Cuban-American rapper has embraced the phenomenon by naming his fans the \u201cbaldies\u201d and selling an official Mr Worldwide Kit and bald caps on his website, for \u00a340 and \u00a310 respectively. Both are sold out.<\/p>\n

Shawna, in a bald cap, and Jack, who is bald, two 33-year-old friends, aren\u2019t diehard Pitbull fans but came because they thought it would be a nostalgic night of carefree euphoria.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the least pretentious crowd I\u2019ve ever been in at a gig,\u201d said Shawna. \u201cThe world is literally burning, so why wouldn\u2019t I stick a bald cap on and dance around to some pop bangers I loved at uni to feel something good?\u201d<\/p>\n

As the sun sets and the rapper took the stage, he was visibly taken aback by the number of impersonators screaming every lyric back at him. As he acknowledged the historic moment, he said: \u201cIt\u2019s a blessing and an honour to see the baldies in London.\u201d<\/p>\n