“I Like It” is officially the no.1 song in the country, which won’t come as a surprise to fans who watched it quietly sneak up the charts over the last few weeks. But plenty of people slept on the Pete Rodriguez-inspired track before it became the most popular song in America—and now Cardi B has revealed that she was one of them.
In an Instagram post, Cardi left an ecstatic message to fans sharing how thrilled she is about the song’s success, which has made her the first woman in rap to earn multiple no. 1 singles. But she also shared that she wasn’t sure fans would immediately connect to the song, since major verses from Bad Bunny and J Balvin are en español.
“I’m so happy, I’m so excited, I cannot believe that ‘I Like It’ is number one,” she said while kicking Offset out of her frame. “It’s so crazy because I always loved this record, but I ain’t gonna front, I slept on it and I slept on this record because, you know, two verses on this song, J Balvin and Bad Bunny parts, are in Spanish and I figured that not all my fans know Spanish. But it’s like, y’all made it happen and it happened and I’m so happy and I’m so grateful.”
The song’s success means a continued moment of visibility for Latinos, and also enforces some recent arguments that language is less of a decisive factor into today’s globalized music world. “I Like It” could encourage Latino artists to keep making music in Spanish and attracting international audiences.
In addition to Cardi’s heartfelt message, Balvin also took to Instagram to say thanks to fans. “ I’m so grateful to share with you the blessings we’re living,” he said, adding, “This is historic and it’s my first no. 1 on the Hot 100 along Cardi B and Bad Bunny.”