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 of 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 … via text message.
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“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 of 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 of the loop for a while, but I’ve watched some of her videos now and my favorite is definitely ‘I Like It,’” he admitted. “It’s certainly my song of the summer.”
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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 of 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.”
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