Songfacts®:

• Bronx-raised Puerto Rican bandleader Pete Rodriguez witnessed the explosion of boogaloo, a fusion of R&B and soul with Latin rhythms, on the streets of the New York City borough in the '50s. His band opened for more prominent Latin groups until they came up with the boogaloo dance classic "I Like It Like That." They were opening for Eddie Palmieri when they were approached by booking agents to write a radio spot introducing the boogaloo dance style to listeners.
  
  Written by Manny Rodriguez and the orchestra's trumpeter/composer/vocalist Tony Pabon, the anthem came together in a studio jam session. Pete Rodriguez told DNA Info: "We just got in the studio, and we were just goofing around, and I came up with the intro, and somebody else came in and said 'Let's do this' and 'Let's do that,' and finally we got the whole thing. But it was a combined effort by everybody."
• The Latin supergroup The Blackout All-Stars, including Tony Pabon, recorded this as "I Like It" for the 1994 movie I Like It Like That, with Tito Nieves on lead vocals. Two years later, it was used in a Burger King commercial to promote the fast food chain's "Have It Your Way" slogan, leading to a remix of the song and a #25 hit on the Hot 100.
• In 2018, rapper Cardi B had a summertime hit with her single "I Like It," which heavily sampled the Rodriguez tune. The single went to #1 on the Hot 100 and renewed interest in the original song, so much so that the independent label/publisher Concord Music sealed an estimated $30 million deal to purchase the catalog of Fania Records. Known as the Motown of Latin Music, the New York-based salsa label held the rights to around 8,000 songs, including the recording rights to "I Like It Like That."