NEW YORK — Wonder why you always hear party jams like “The Anthem” and “I Know What You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” from Pitbull?

He did it, the rapper says, to assure his place on the roster of the defunct TVT Records.

“They always looking at Pitbull like, ‘Oh, he’s just the party guy. He’s just making these club anthems,’ ” he said. “It’s always been a survival tactic with the situation I was in before.”

Though “Calle Ocho” and “Hotel Room Service” are certified party anthems and top 10 hits on the Billboard chart, Pitbull says he’s tackling more serious issues on his new album, “Rebelution.”

What other sides of Pitbull will we hear on “Rebelution?”

I have a record on the album called “Daddy’s Little Girl,” which is speaking about things that have happened to women in my family, very important women, such as my mother, my sister. I think people are going to hear it and go ... I ain’t know Pit really had that side to him. I keep saying it’s exciting because I’m excited. I genuinely am for this project, and especially with the records to come.

Do you think your former label wanted to hold you back?

The other label was an independent label. The staff was great, I still work with a lot of those people. We created our own staff off that independently. There was just one person that really didn’t get it. And everybody in the business knew about it. . . . So now we get the chance to actually go out, do good business with artists, get cleared for other records, be able to just blossom throughout the music industry.

During that time, did you think about getting out of the music industry?

I love to create music, I love to perform music, I dislike the music business. I think it takes away from a lot of artists and their creative juices. . . . There’s been times, yes, where I’ve thought about it, because I’ve always had a plan Z. Thank God I made the right decision and had the right people around me. . . . I seen an opportunity, and there’s nothing better than to beat somebody at their own game. And when I seen that, I took full advantage of it and I told myself even if I go broke fighting this fight, I will do it because I cannot lay my head at night saying I didn’t try, I just quit.