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Caalaroga Shark Media Summer twenty eighteen. I'm Garrett Fischer, and
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the music world was witnessing something unprecedented, the complete demolition
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of traditional industry gatekeepers. By streaming platforms and social media.
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Artists could go from complete unknowns to global superstars without
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ever setting foot in a record label's office. And nowhere
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was this more evident than with Cardi B, who had
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transformed from reality TV personality to chart topping rapper to
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cultural phenomenon in what felt like the blink of an eye.
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When she dropped I Like It featuring Bad Bunny and
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Jay Balvin that summer, it wasn't just a song. It
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was a declaration that the new rules of music were
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being written by artists who refused to wait for permission
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to be great. Coming in at number nine on our
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countdown of the top twenty songs of the summer, as
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voted by the staff of Calaroga Shark Media, Cardi B's
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I Like It represents the perfect collision of hip hop authenticity,
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Latin music's global explosion, and the kind of undeniable personality
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that can't be manufactured or fagd. Before Cardi B was
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breaking streaming Records and making history as the first solo
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female rapper to win a Grammy for Best Rap Album.
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She was Belcullis Marlnis Almanzar, growing up in the Bronx
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with Dominican and Trinidadian heritage that would later inform her
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music in crucial ways. Her path to stardom was anything
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but traditional, from stripper to social media personality, to cast
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member on VH one's Love and Hip Hop New York
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to independent rapper releasing mixtapes that caught the attention of
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Atlantic Records. What made Carti's rise so remarkable wasn't just
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its speed, but its authenticity. She never tried to hide
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her past or sanitize her personality for mainstream consumption. Her
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Bronx accent, her unfiltered social media presence, her willingness to
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discuss everything from politics to personal relationships with the same energy.
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It all felt refreshingly real in an industry often criticized
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for its manufactured personas. Her twenty seventeen breakthrough single, Bodak
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Yellow had already established her as a force to be reckoned,
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with becoming the first song by a solo female rapper
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to reach number one on the Billboard Hot one hundred
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since Lauren Hill's Do Wop That Thing in nineteen ninety eight.
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But I Like It, the fourth single from her debut
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album Invasion of Privacy, would prove that her success wasn't
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a flute. It was the beginning of a new era.
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The song's collaborators were equally significant. Bad Bunny, as we
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discussed in our earlier episode about Despachito, had already established
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himself as Reggaton's newest superstar, bringing a fresh energy and
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global perspective to the genre. J Balvin, meanwhile, was the
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Colombian regaton artist who had been steadily building an inn
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international following and proving that Latin music could dominate not
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just Latin American charts, but global ones. Together, these three
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artists represented something new, a generation of Latino artists who
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didn't see language or cultural boundaries as limitations, but as
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opportunities to create something unique and powerful. So what made
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I Like It the perfect summer anthem for the streaming era?
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Let's break it down. Musically. I Like It is built
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around one of the most inspired samples in recent hip
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hop history, Pete Rodriguez's nineteen sixty seven boogaloo classic I
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like it like that. This wasn't just clever sampling, it
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was cultural archaeology, connecting contemporary Latin trap with the Afro
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Caribbean rhythms that had influenced New York Latin music for decades.
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The choice created immediate recognition among older Latino listeners, while
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introducing younger audiences to sounds they might never have discovered otherwise.
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The production by Tiney, Craig Kellman and Inverness takes Rodriguez's
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original piano and horn arrangement and layers it with contemporary
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trap drums and synthesizers, creating a bridge between past and
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present that feels both nostalgic and futuristic. The result is
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a track that sounds like a party happening across multiple
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generations simultaneously. What makes the instrumental arrangement particularly effective is
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how it creates space for three very different vocal styles.
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Cardi's rapid fire wrap delivery, Bad Bunny's melodic reggaeton flow,
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and J Balvin's smoother approach all find their perfect moments
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to shine while contributing to a cohesive whole. This balance
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required sophisticated production that could accommodate different languages, different rhythms,
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and different artistic personalities. The percussion work deserves special mention.
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The way trap high hats interact with Latin percussion creates
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a polyrhythmic complexity that keeps the track interesting throughout its
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four minute run time. This this isn't just fusion for
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fusion's sake. It's a musical conversation between different traditions that
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creates something entirely new. The structure of I Like It
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demonstrates how contemporary pop music can accommodate multiple artists without
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feeling cluttered or unfocused. Carti opens the track with her
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signature confidence, establishing the song's energy and attitude, before Bad
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Bunny and Jay Balvin enter with their contributions in Spanish,
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creating a seamless bilingual experience that never feels forced or tokenistic.
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Each artist gets space to showcase their distinctive style while
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contributing to the song's overall narrative about success, confidence, and
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enjoying the fruits of hard work. The transitions between different
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vocal sections feel natural and conversational, as if the three
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artists are actually hanging out together rather than recording separate
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parts in different studios. The hook sections built around the
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sampled I Like It Like That refrain provide perfect moments
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for audience participate while allowing each artist to add their
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own interpretation. This repetitive structure makes the song incredibly memorable
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while providing a foundation that can support improvisation and individual expression.
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What's particularly smart about the structure is how it builds
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energy throughout, with each artist's contribution adding new layers of
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excitement and personality. By the time the song reaches its conclusion,
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it feels like a full party rather than just a
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three and a half minute recording. The lyrics of I
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Like It showcase Cardi B's gift for combining street credibility
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with aspirational themes. While Bad Bunny and j Balvin bring
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their own perspectives on success and Latin pride. Without extensively
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quoting to respect copyright, I can note that the song
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celebrates financial success, cultural identity, and the kind of confidence
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that comes from proving doubters wrong. Carti's verses combine specific
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details about luxury goods and lifestyle choices with broader themes
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about overcoming obstacles and staying true to your roots. Her
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delivery has a conversational quality that makes even the most
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boastful lines feel like personal sharing rather than empty bragging.
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Bad Bunny and j Balvin Spanish language contributions ad layers
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of cultural specificity while maintaining the song's themes of celebration
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and confidence. Their verses work both for Spanish speaking audiences,
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who can understand every reference and for non Spanish speakers,
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who can feel the energy and attitude even without translation.
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Throughout the song, there's a sense of cultural pride and
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representation that goes beyond simple party themes. The artists aren't
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just celebrating their personal success. They're representing their communities and
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cultures on a global stage, making the song feel like
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a statement as much as entertainment. What truly makes I
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Like It special is the chemistry between all three artists.
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Carti's personality is so magnetic that she could probably make
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reading a phone book entertaining, but here she's matched by
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two equally charismatic collaborators who bring their own energy to
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the track. The interplay between English and Spanish throughout the
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song creates a bilingual experience that reflects the reality of
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many Latino communities in the United States, where code switching
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between languages is natural and constant. This authenticity helped the
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song connect with audiences who rarely heard their lived experience
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reflected in mainstream music. Each artist's vocal performance serves the
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song while showcasing their individual strengths. Cardi's rapid fire delivery
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and distinctive accent, Bad Bunny's melodic approach to reggaeton, and
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J balvin smoothflow all contribute different textures while maintaining the
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track's essential party atmosphere. More in a moment, It was
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released in May twenty eighteen and became a massive hit,
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reaching number one on the Billboard Hot one hundred and
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staying there for one week. More significantly, it marked the
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first time a song featuring three Latin artists reached the
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top of the charts, representing a watershed moment for Latin
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representation in mainstream American music. The song's success came during
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a remarkable period for Cardi b whose debut album, Invasion
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of Privacy became the first album by a female rapper
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to have every track certified Gold or higher by the RIAA.
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This level of commercial dominance hadn't been seen from a
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female rapper since perhaps Lauren Hill's solo career Peak to
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fully appreciate the impact of I Like It, we need
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to examine the cultural landscape of Summer twenty eighteen, a
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season marked by streaming's complete dominance of music consumption and
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the continued global expansion of Latin music. The year had
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begun with the massive cultural imp act of Black Panther,
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which became both a box office phenomenon and a cultural
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watershed moment for representation in superhero films. The movie's soundtrack,
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curated by Kendrick Lamar, demonstrated how film and music could
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work together to create cultural moments that transcended entertainment. Other
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major films that summer included Incredibles to Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom,
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and Mission Impossible Fallout, while Crazy Rich Asians became a
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groundbreaking success for Asian representation in Hollywood. The diversity of
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successful entertainment reflected audience's hunger for stories that represented their
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own experiences. Musically, streaming had completely transformed how hits were
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made and sustained. Drake's album Scorpion dominated the summer charts,
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while artists like Post Malone, Travis Scott, and Ariana Grande
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were demonstrating how streaming could sustain hits for months rather
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than weeks. In My Feelings by Drake became a viral
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phenomenon thanks to the number in My Feelings challenge on
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social media, showing how songs could achieve success through user
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generated content rather than traditional promotion. Technology continued evolving rapidly,
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with Instagram, Stories, Snapchat, and early TikTok still growing from
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its musical liae origins, changing how artists connected with fans.
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These platforms favored authentic, unfiltered content over traditional media training,
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playing directly to Cardib's strengths as someone who had built
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her following through genuine social media engagement. Politically and socially,
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twenty eighteen was marked by continued division and the Me
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Too movement's ongoing impact on entertainment and culture. In this context,
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artists like Cardi B who spoke authentically about their experiences
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and refused to be silenced or sanitized, represented something powerful
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and necessary. This was the landscape in which I Like
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It achieved its success, a moment when authenticity was being
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rewarded over artifice, when Latin culture was achieving unprecedented mainstream recognition,
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and when traditional industry barriers were being demolished by new
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technology and changing audience preferences for Latin music, specifically, I
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Like It represented another crucial step in what was becoming
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known as the Latin music boom of the late twenty tens,
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Following the success of Desposito and other crossover hits. The
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song demonstrated that Latin artists could achieve mainstream success not
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by abandoning their cultural identity, but by celebrating it. The
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track's success also highlighted the growing influence of Latino audiences
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in American popular culture, with Latinos representing nearly twenty percent
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of the US population and an even higher percentage of
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young music consumers. Artists who could authentically connect with these
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communities had significant advantages in achieving commercial success. For Cardi
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B personally, I Like It cemented her status as more
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than just a rapper. She was becoming a cultural icon
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whose influence extended far beyond music. Her outspoken political views,
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her willingness to discuss everything from motherhood to money, and
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her refusal to be anything other than herself made her
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a role model for authenticity in an often inauthentic industry.
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The song's influence on subsequent music has been substantial. Its
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successful fusion of hip hop and Latin music encouraged countless
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other collaborations between artists from different cultural backgrounds. The track
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demonstrated that bilingual songs could achieve mainstream success without requiring
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English translations, opening doors for a more diverse musical expression.
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I Like It has maintained its popularity through its use
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in films, television, and social media content, continuing to introduce
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new audiences to its infectious energy and cultural celebration. Its
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sampling of Pete Rodriguez also led to renewed interest in
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classic Latin music, demonstrating how contemporary hits can serve as
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gateways to musical history. Looking back on I Like It today,
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it represents a perfect capture of a specific cultural moment
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when barriers were falling and new possibilities were emerging. The
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song's celebration of success without forgetting cultural roots resonated with
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audiences who were seeing themselves represented in mainstream culture in
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unprecedented ways. What makes I Like It the quintessential streaming
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era summer anthem is its understanding that modern audiences don't
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want music that talks down to them or simplifies complex
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cultural realities. The song's bilingual approach, its sampling of classic
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Latin music, and its celebration of authenticity over artifice created
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something that felt both contemporary and timeless. The track's success
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also demonstrated the power of collaboration between artists who bring
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different strengths and audiences to the table. Rather than being
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a Cardi B song with featured guests, I Like It
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feels like a genuine collaboration where each artist contributes something
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essential to the final product. So, as we continue our
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countdown of the top twenty songs of the Summer, at
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number nine, turn up I Like It and let its
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infectious celebration of culture, success and authenticity remind you of
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a summer when the rules of the music industry were
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being rewritten by artists who refuse to wait for permission
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to be great. Because I Like It isn't just a song.
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It's a cultural document of a moment when streaming technology,
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Latin music's global expansion, and Cardi B's undeniable charisma converge
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to create something that felt both like a party and
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a revolution. Five years later, it still has the power
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to turn any room into a celebration, which is why
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it deserves its place in our Summer song's pantheon. This
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is Garrett Fisher for Hitmaker Chronicles counting down the top
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twenty songs of the summer, as voted by the staff
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of Calaroga Shark Media. Keep that bilingual energy flowing and
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join me next week as we continue our countdown with
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number eight