"I Like It" is a song by American rapper and singer
Cardi B
Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus (, ; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper and songwriter. She first gained popularity as an influencer on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to early 2017, she appeared as ...
, with Puerto Rican rapper
Bad Bunny
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (born March 10, 1994), known professionally as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. His musical style is defined as Latin trap and reggaeton. He rose to prominence in 2016 with his song "Diles", wh ...
and Colombian singer
J Balvin
José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. He has been referred to as the " Prince of Reggaeton" (from Spanish: "Príncipe del Reggaetón"), and is one of the best-sell ...
. It was released on May 25, 2018, to radio stations through
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
as the fourth single from her debut studio album, ''
Invasion of Privacy
The right to privacy is an element of various legal traditions that intends to restrain governmental and private actions that threaten the privacy of individuals. Over 150 national constitutions mention the right to privacy. On 10 December 194 ...
'' (2018). "I Like It" is a
Latin trap
Latin trap is a subgenre of Trap music, trap music that originated in Puerto Rico. A direct descendant of southern hip hop, and influenced by reggaeton, it gained popularity after 2007, and has since spread throughout Latin America. ''The trap'' ...
and
hip hop song that comprises a
trap
A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research.
Trap or TRAP may also refer to:
Art and entertainment Films and television
* ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...
drum beat and
salsa
Salsa most often refers to:
* Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments
* Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music
* Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music
Salsa or SALSA may also refer to:
...
music. It was written by the three performers along with
Pardison Fontaine
Jorden Kyle Lanier Thorpe (born December 29, 1989), better known by his stage name Pardison Fontaine, is an American rapper and songwriter originally from Newburgh, New York. He is best known for his 2018 single " Backin' It Up" featuring Card ...
and Klenord Raphael, while the production was handled by
J. White Did It,
Tainy
Marcos Efraín Masís Fernández (born August 9, 1989), known professionally as Tainy, is a Puerto Rican record producer and songwriter. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he entered the world of reggaeton with his work on '' Mas Flow 2 ...
,
Craig Kallman
Craig Kallman is an American entrepreneur and former DJ. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records. His career in music began in the 1980s as a DJ in Manhattan. He is the founder of the independent label Big Beat, which was es ...
and Invincible. The song contains a sample from "
I Like It Like That", replayed by musicians during production,
with
Tony Pabón, Manny Rodriguez, and Benny Bonnilla being credited as co-writers.
Work on the song took from October 2017 to early April 2018. Its music video was filmed in
Little Havana
Little Havana ( es, Pequeña Habana) is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. Home to many Cuban exiles, as well as many immigrants from Central and South America, Little Havana is named after Havana, the Capital (political), capita ...
,
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
and has received more than 1.4 billion views. The single topped the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Cardi B's second number one—the first time a female rapper achieved this in the chart's history,
and the first for both Bad Bunny and J Balvin. It also reached the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Critically acclaimed, ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' staff, ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', and
Apple Music
Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...
's editorial selection ranked it as the best song of the year,
while ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' named it "the
best summer song of all time."
"I Like It" was nominated for
Record of the Year
The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
at the
61st Annual Grammy Awards
The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and fo ...
.
The song was
certified Diamond by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) in 2021 for selling more than 10 million units, becoming the second song from the album to receive this certification, following "
Bodak Yellow
"Bodak Yellow" (alternatively titled "Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)") is the major-label debut single by American rapper Cardi B. It was written by Cardi B, Jordan Thorpe, Klenord Raphael, and produced by J. White Did It and Laquan Green. It was r ...
", thus extending Cardi B's record as the female rapper with the most Diamond-certified songs, as her third, and earning her a ''
Guinness World Record
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' for a tie for the most among female artists. It became the first female rap song to surpass
a billion streams on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
, also making Cardi B the first woman in hip hop with a pair of billion-streamers on the service, joining her collaboration "
Girls Like You
"Girls Like You" is a song recorded by American band Maroon 5 from their sixth studio album ''Red Pill Blues'' (2017). The track was written by lead singer Adam Levine, Starrah, Gian Stone, Cirkut (record producer), Cirkut, and Jason Evigan, wit ...
". "I Like It" is the highest-ranked female rap song on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 decade-end chart for the 2010s.
As of 2021, it is the most-streamed song by a female rapper in the UK. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it on the
500 Greatest Songs of All Time at number 384.
Background
During the recording sessions of ''Invasion of Privacy'', Cardi and her team were listening to beats and song ideas.
Craig Kallman
Craig Kallman is an American entrepreneur and former DJ. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records. His career in music began in the 1980s as a DJ in Manhattan. He is the founder of the independent label Big Beat, which was es ...
proposed to include a track that pays homage to her
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
heritage and searched among his
Latin music
Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Music of Spain, Spain and Portuguese music, Portugal) ...
collection of records that he used to play when he was a DJ. Decided for Pete Rodriguez's "
I Like It Like That" and "Oh That's Nice", he added J. White to the production process. The sample of the former song "over a very rough instrumental" and with a Cardi verse on it was sent to musician Edgar Machuca. White and Machuca worked on the production, chopping up the sample and trying to "make the song sound better and cohesive and beef up the production." Cardi re-wrote the
hook
A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...
a number of times and cut vocals, eventually choosing the chorus she was most comfortable with. The three producers looped the "I Like It" part as they felt that was the catchiest part of the sample. Machuca proposed to add Bad Bunny and J Balvin to the track, with both artists contributing with their verses and ideas.
Tainy
Marcos Efraín Masís Fernández (born August 9, 1989), known professionally as Tainy, is a Puerto Rican record producer and songwriter. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he entered the world of reggaeton with his work on '' Mas Flow 2 ...
and Invicible finished working on the production focusing on the instrumentals. Work on the record started in October 2017, and finished in early April 2018.
Production
"I Like It" is a
Latin trap
Latin trap is a subgenre of Trap music, trap music that originated in Puerto Rico. A direct descendant of southern hip hop, and influenced by reggaeton, it gained popularity after 2007, and has since spread throughout Latin America. ''The trap'' ...
and
hip hop song. It is a blend of
trap
A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research.
Trap or TRAP may also refer to:
Art and entertainment Films and television
* ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...
and
salsa
Salsa most often refers to:
* Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments
* Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music
* Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music
Salsa or SALSA may also refer to:
...
, and interpolates 1967
boogaloo
Boogaloo or bugalú (also: shing-a-ling, Latin boogaloo, Latin R&B) is a genre of Latin music and dance which was popular in the United States in the 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City mainly among teenage African Americans and Latinos ...
song "
I Like It Like That".
By replaying the sample instead of using the physical sample, its owners receive compensation and credit for their composition, with production saving money and retaining publishing ownership.
As noted by a ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' editor, the song is "heavily indebted to the world of
Latin hip hop
Latin hip hop (also known as Latin rap) is hip hop music that is recorded by artists in the United States of Hispanic and Latino descent, along with Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean, North America, Central America, South America, and ...
." Bad Bunny and J Balvin perform in Spanish and English.
Critical reception
"I Like It" received critical acclaim. Writing for ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', Brittany Spanos deemed it "the song of the summer" and commented "
tsounds like it was chemically concocted in a mad scientist's lab to be 2018's reigning song of the summer.
..Everything about this song is perfect for summer: the trap-meets-salsa beat, features from two of
reggaeton
Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico.
It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American Hip hop m ...
's biggest stars, a sample of Pete Rodriguez's half-century-old boogaloo hit 'I Like It Like That'." In ''
The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'', Hannah Giorgis also deemed it "song of the summer" considering "
he song
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
is irresistible because it channels the rapper at her best: when she feels at home." She also noted that the verses from both Bad Bunny and J Balvin "match Cardi's energy" and "add complementary dynamism to the track." Neil Z. Yeung of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
considered it a "notable highlight" of the album. At the end of the year, ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' opined, "
he song
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
will be on summer rotation long past 2018."
''Rolling Stone'' staff ranked "I Like It" among the best songs of the 2010s, deeming it Cardi's "hugely expansive vision of hip-hop as a multicultural, worldwide block party."
Accolades
Commercial performance
Prior to its release as a single, the song debuted at number eight on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Cardi B's fifth top-ten entry on the chart and the highest debut of the songs from the album, which all debuted on the Hot 100 during the album's first week of release.
Bad Bunny and J Balvin earned their first and second top 10s, respectively. Following the release of the single's accompanying music video, the song rose to a new peak of number seven on the chart, For the chart issue dated June 16, with "I Like It" and "
Girls Like You
"Girls Like You" is a song recorded by American band Maroon 5 from their sixth studio album ''Red Pill Blues'' (2017). The track was written by lead singer Adam Levine, Starrah, Gian Stone, Cirkut (record producer), Cirkut, and Jason Evigan, wit ...
", her collaboration with
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...
charting at number four, Cardi B scored two concurrent Hot 100 top-five singles for the second time in 2018. It ascended to number two the next week, blocked from the top by
XXXTentacion
Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion ga ...
's "
Sad!
"Sad!" (stylized in all-caps) is a song by American rapper and singer XXXTentacion from his second studio album, '' ?'' (2018). It was released as the lead single from the album on March 2, 2018. The track was produced by John Cunningham, and wri ...
". It reached number one in its twelfth week, earning Cardi her second chart-topper, thus making her the first female rapper in history to do so. Bad Bunny and J Balvin scored their first number one.
She also became the first female soloist to reach number one with two songs from a debut album since
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
, who did it in 2009. "I Like It" reached number one on
Digital Songs
The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally sta ...
in its 20th chart week, claiming the sixth-longest wait to the summit since the chart began in 2004. It also became Cardi B's second number one song on the
Radio Songs chart. Internationally, the single also charted within the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In the United States, "I Like It" reigned in the charts for 51 weeks, which made Cardi B the first female rapper to have a song chart that long.
"I Like It" became the first Latin trap song to top the Hot 100. Editor Leila Cobo for ''Billboard'' explained its notability, "it's part of an accelerated spike of
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
and Spanish-infused songs on the chart
..This surge can be attributed at least in part to streaming, which has broadened the scope for Latin music that is still shunned from major mainstream outlets. But it also reflects the times, the moment and the new openness of the world, despite the
entrenchment at the border."
"I Like It" also became the first number one single—and the first Latin trap song in this genre to do so—on the ''Billboard''
Dance/Mix Show Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay (formerly Hot Dance Airplay) is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine.
History
The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic d ...
chart for Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin, reaching that summit in its September 1, 2018 issue, benefitting from the support from both the 80 reporting stations (dual
Top 40/CHR and
Rhythmic Rhythmic may refer to:
* Related to rhythm
* Rhythmic contemporary, a radio format
* Rhythmic adult contemporary, a radio format
* Rhythmic gymnastics, a form of gymnastics
* Rhythmic (chart)
The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and ...
outlets who submit their mix show hours or incorporate it in their playlist) and the core full-time
Dance/EDM stations, the latter utilizing the remixed
Dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
versions of the song. It was ''Billboard''s top song of the year by a female artist on both
Hot Rap Songs
Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...
and
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
.
"I Like It" was 2018's most streamed song by a female artist on
Apple Music
Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...
globally, and sixth overall.
It was also the year's most streamed song by a female artist in Canada, and sixth among all artists.
Music video
The song's accompanying
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
was directed by Eif Rivera and filmed in March 2018 in
Little Havana
Little Havana ( es, Pequeña Habana) is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. Home to many Cuban exiles, as well as many immigrants from Central and South America, Little Havana is named after Havana, the Capital (political), capita ...
,
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
. A preview of the clip was featured on
YouTube Music
YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by YouTube, a subsidiary of Google. It provides a tailored interface for the service, oriented towards music streaming, allowing users to browse through songs and music videos on YouTube based ...
's announcement video on May 23. Released on May 29, 2018, the music video opens with Cardi B in a neighborhood, followed by scenes of Bad Bunny in the streets and J Balvin in a club. It also features scenes of the trio performing together.
Director Eif Rivera stated in an interview that he was inspired by the movie ''
I Like It Like That'' (1994), which opening scene centered in a neighborhood of the
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...
.
''
People en Español
''People en Español'' is a Spanish-language American magazine published by Dotdash Meredith that debuted in 1996, originally as the Spanish-language edition of its publication ''People''. As of 2009, it is the Spanish-language magazine with the l ...
'' stated that the video "transports" the viewer "to be part of scenes and traditions worthy of a
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
afternoon."
The magazine and ''
Vibe
''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...
'' noted Cardi B's garments and "traditional
rumba
The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba ...
clothing accessories" inspired by
Celia Cruz
Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a naturalized Cuban-American singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during t ...
.
"I Like It" topped
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
's 2018 Songs of the Summer list in the United States, and ranked fifth globally. As of September 2022, it has received over 1.5 billion views.
Live performances
Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin gave the first live performance of "I Like It" at the 2018
Coachella Music Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert ...
during its second weekend, on April 22. The trio delivered the first televised performance of the song at the
2018 American Music Awards
The 46th Annual American Music Awards were held on October 9, 2018, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. It aired live on ABC and was hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross. Cardi B and Drake led the list of nominations with eight mentions ea ...
. Featuring colorful outfits and visuals, they were accompanied by a live band composed by
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
and
bongo players. Cardi started the performance by lying atop a rotating circular stage; she then ripped off the voluminous
tulle
Tulle (; ) is a commune in central France. It is the third-largest town in the former region of Limousin and is the capital of the department of Corrèze, in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Tulle is also the episcopal see of the Roman Catho ...
and performed a
salsa dance
Salsa is a latin dance, associated with the music genre of the same name, which was first popularized in the United States in the 1960s in New York City. Salsa is an amalgamation of Cuban dances, such as mambo, pachanga and rumba, as well as Ame ...
. Bad Bunny was wheeled in for his verse in a grocery cart, while J Balvin joined hanging by the DJ booth. The ''Billboard'' article reviewing the ceremony named it the best performance of the night.
Bad Bunny performed the song with
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
during the
Super Bowl LIV halftime show.
Impact
Julyssa Lopez of ''
Remezcla
Remezcla is an American media company focusing on the Latin American cultural sphere. It serves the millennial market.
History
The brand was founded by Claire Frisbie, Andrew Herrera and Nuria Net in 2006, had no outside funding; it first recei ...
'' opined that "I Like It" leading the American charts "helps buttress the position of
Spanish-language music in the
Anglo
Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term '' Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people ...
and international
pop spheres—and signals that
017s moments could have more staying power" as it "adds another moment of renewed visibility for Latino artists and bilingual music." ''
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
'' staff also noticed that it "continued to firm up a lane for Spanish language in the
American pop mainstream." In 2019, ''
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'' writer Gary Suarez stated that "I Like It" marked the introduction to a mainstream, massive audience of "a musical movement otherwise unknown to their ears", "transformed" Bad Bunny into "a household name" and "set the stage" for his full-length debut ''
X 100pre
''X 100pre'' (an abbreviation of "Por siempre" in Spanish, meaning "Forever" and stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny. It was released on December 24, 2018 on Christmas Eve, by Rimas Entertainment. It ...
''. ''
El Mundo'' newspaper also opined that the song made him connect with an international
Gen Z
Generation Z (or more commonly Gen Z for short), colloquially known as zoomers, is the Western demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birt ...
audience. Similarly, Gary Suarez for the ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' website said that the song "essentially introduced Latin trap to the masses." In ''
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'', Chris Molanphy considered that the artists produced "a different and more interesting animal" than previous Latin-influenced chart-toppers in the Anglo-market, and deemed it "a
Trojan Horse
The Trojan Horse was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending before the war is concluded, ...
distinct from any of the crossover records either of the
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
–
18 wave or of the Latin Boom 1.0. in
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
." ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' cited it among the songs that made
Urbano music
Urbano music ( es, música urbana) or Latin urban is a transnational umbrella category including many different genres and styles. As an umbrella term it includes reggaeton, dancehall, dembow, urban champeta, funk carioca and Latin hip hop. Th ...
reach "critical mass".
Awards and nominations
Track listing
*Digital download –
Dillon Francis
Dillon Hart Francis (born October 5, 1987), also known by the stage name DJ Hanzel, is an American electronic music producer and DJ.
Early life
Francis was born in Los AngelesAhmed, Insanul (March 13, 2012Who Is Dillon Francis?Complex. Retri ...
remix
#"I Like It" (Dillon Francis remix) – 3:39
*Digital download – German remix
#"I Like It" (featuring
Kontra K
''Gute Nacht'' is the sixth studio album by German rapper Kontra K. It was released on 28 April 2017 through BMG Rights Management
BMG Rights Management GmbH (also known simply as BMG) is an international music company based in Berlin, Ger ...
and AK Ausserkontrolle) – 4:14
*
12-inch single
The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...
#"I Like It" – 4:13
#"I Like It" (instrumental) – 4:13
#"I Like It" (Dillon Francis remix) – 3:39
#"I Like It" (radio edit) – 4:11
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from
Tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (servic ...
.
*Cardi B – vocals
*Bad Bunny – vocals
*J Balvin – vocals
*J. White Did It – producer
*
Tainy
Marcos Efraín Masís Fernández (born August 9, 1989), known professionally as Tainy, is a Puerto Rican record producer and songwriter. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he entered the world of reggaeton with his work on '' Mas Flow 2 ...
– producer
*
Craig Kallman
Craig Kallman is an American entrepreneur and former DJ. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records. His career in music began in the 1980s as a DJ in Manhattan. He is the founder of the independent label Big Beat, which was es ...
– producer
*Evan LaRay – recording engineer
*Invincible – co-producer
*Nick Seeley – additional producer
*Colin Leonard – mastering engineer
*Juan Chaves –
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
*Michael Romero – background vocals
*Sarah Sellers – background vocals
*Nick Seeley – background vocals
*Andrew Tinker – background vocals
*Holly Seeley – background vocals
*Leslie Brathwaite – mixer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
External links
*
*
{{authority control
2018 songs
2018 singles
Atlantic Records singles
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Cardi B songs
Bad Bunny songs
J Balvin songs
Latin trap songs
Spanglish songs
Song recordings produced by J. White Did It
Songs written by Cardi B
Songs written by J Balvin
Songs written by Pardison Fontaine
Songs written by Bad Bunny
Songs written by Tainy
Songs written by J. White Did It
Songs written by Klenord Raphael
Number-one singles in Israel