Over 50 years after it took off, the man behind the defining anthem of boogaloo is back in the spotlight, thanks to none other than Cardi B. The Dominican-Trinidadian rapper’s Bad Bunny and J Balvin collab “I Like It” is undoubtedly reigning the charts as a song of the summer, reigniting conversations on bilingual pop and the hegemony of English-language music in the mainstream sphere. It has now captured the attention of Pete Rodriguez, whose 1967 hit “I Like It Like That” is sampled in the Invasion of Privacy standout.
In an exclusive interview, the Puerto Rican legend told Entertainment Weekly that he was introduced to the song thanks to his children and grandchildren. “My kids and grandkids called me and texted me about it,” Rodriguez said. “I wasn’t aware of Cardi, but my kids and grandkids were. They were all excited; they’re fans.” The 86-year-old star didn’t have Cardi B on his radar before the song dropped, but apparently, he is slowly becoming a Cardi B fan. “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.’”
Rodriguez has largely left the public eye since boogaloo first flourished in the late 60s, paving the way for New York-born genres like hip-hop and punk. According to DNAInfo, he now lives in southern New Jersey and had knee replacement surgery in 2017. Though he rarely performs live anymore, he did share that he is proud of the original song’s legacy. “I’m glad that ‘I Like It Like That’ is still interesting the people of New York,” he told DNAInfo last year. “And The Bronx especially.”
Read the full story at Entertainment Weekly.