Cardi B, J. Balvin, Bad Bunny, “Bodak Yellow” producer J. White and several other individuals won big by selecting a 50-year-old sample to catapult “I Like It” to the top the Billboard 100 this summer.
Given the extensive time gap, there was potential for a serious generational divide with Pete Rodriguez, the Bronx-born Puerto Rican bandleader whose 1967 hit “I Like It Like That” has helped today’s kids go crazy in the clubs.
The 86-year-old artist heard about Cardi’s creation through his grandchildren … text message.
“My kids and grandkids called me and texted me about it,” Rodriguez told Entertainment Weekly. “We recorded the original] in 1967, so it’s come a long way. I wasn’t aware Cardi, but my kids and grandkids were. They were all excited; they’re fans.”
Like Rodriguez, Cardi was also born in the Bronx and champions her Latin heritage, which was good enough for the boogaloo artist.
“I’ve been out the loop for a while, but I’ve watched some her videos now and my favorite is definitely ‘I Like It,’” he admitted. “It’s certainly my song the summer.”
The new school rules have proved to be a vantage point for Rodriguez’s version, which was written by Tony Pabon and Manny Rodriguez. It enjoyed a 2,520 percent boost in streams as a direct result to Cardi B’s success. And it’s actually not the first time the classic hit has benefitted from a resurgence.
In 1994, Latin music supergroup Blackout All-Stars recorded a cover for the comedy-drama film I Like It Like That. Burger King would go on to use that version in a commercial two years later, resulting in a Billboard 100 placement at No. 25.
As press time, Cardi B’s “I Like It” currently sits at No. 2 behind Drake’s viral hit “In My Feelings.” Not for nothing, she also shares the No. 3 spot thanks to her feature on Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You.”