Digging the Digital Crates: Cardi B's "I Like It"

Cardi B's "I Like It" (2018) became an instant hit and soared to the top of the pop and hip-hop charts. "I Like It" features Columbian-American reggaeton artist J Balvin and Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Bad Bunny.

The primary sample in "I Like It" is Pete Rodriguez's "I Like It Like That (A Mi Me Gusta Asi)" (1966).

Rodriguez's classic record was covered by Tito Nieves in 1997:

...and sampled heavily in the Spanish electronica band Telephunken's "Feeling Good" (2009).

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Cardi B's producers also sample a prominent riff from Rodriguez's "Oh That's Nice" (1967). The sample comes from :48 in "Oh That's Nice" and appears in Cardi's record at :43.

While Cardi's track may seem simply like a new take on an old classic, it really sounds her Dominican and Bronx roots. Cardi B is bringing some NY hip-hop--Latin American pop crossover in an age where the closest that we can get to Latin American pop in mainstream America is Ed Sheeran's appropriated syncopation in "Shape of You" or Justin Bieber forgetting the lyrics to "Despacito" live in concert.

Keep on keeping on, Cardi.