"Like That" is a song by American rapper and singer Doja Cat featuring fellow American rapper Gucci Mane. It was written by both artists along with Theron Thomas, Lydia Asrat, David Sprecher, and producers Dr. Luke (credited as Tyson Trax) and Mike Crook.[1] Originally included as a track on Doja Cat's second studio album Hot Pink (2019), it became a single on May 12, 2020, following a viral dance challenge using the song on the app TikTok.
Before "Like That" had become a single in May, the song had already begun to chart in several countries following the viral TikTok dance which used the song. Following its release as a single, the song peaked at number 50 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The music video was released on June 25, 2020. Doja Cat promoted the single with multiple live performances, including at the 2020 Video Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.
Background
On November 1, 2019, Doja Cat announced that her album Hot Pink would be released on November 8, 2019, and revealed the track listing alongside the album's release. The song "Like That" was confirmed to have a featured artist that would not be announced until the album's release, when it was revealed to be Gucci Mane.[2] Similar to its predecessor "Say So", the song entered the charts before its single release due to a viral dance challenge using the song on the app TikTok.[3] Consequently, "Like That" charted ahead of release as a single in the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland.[4][5][6][7]
Music video
An accompanying music video for the song was filmed in Los Angeles before the state went on lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, the video was leaked online via Twitter, generating controversy. On June 22, 2020, Doja confirmed that she was fully aware of the video leak and stated that the leaked video was not the official video and that the official video would be released soon.[8] The official music video was released on June 25, 2020, and has over 200 million views on YouTube.[9][10]
Synopsis
The video starts with the title card panning down to Doja Cat standing in a futuristic blue set among her backup dancers. Doja and the dancers start dancing, intercut with shots of an animated version of Cat, which sparked comparisons to the anime television series Sailor Moon.[11] The video is plastered with animated graphics throughout the video.[9] Doja Cat eventually meets up with collaborator Gucci Mane, who leans and poses in front of a convertible while rapping his verse of the song. Doja who is either dancing beside Mane or in the convertible takes back the song and ends the video with the splits on beat, followed by a black screen.
Lakin Starling of Pitchfork wrote, "Doja weaves easily from rap mode into a whispery chorus with an upbeat R&B groove reminiscent of early-2000sJanet Jackson. It's the perfect soundtrack for a backyard party."[14] Comparing the song's composition to that of songs that previously popularized on TikTok, Cat Zhang from the same publication wrote, "Doja's softer, girlier aesthetic offered an alternative to the vulgar, brutish rap that previously soundtracked the platform. And her brash, confident lyrics [...] offer snippets of female empowerment."[15]
Chart performance
Before "Like That" had become a single in May, the song had already begun to chart in several countries following the viral TikTok dance which used the song. Following its release as a single, the song peaked at number 50 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and charted in other territories such as Argentina and Australia. The song additionally appeared in three-year-end charts for the year of 2020 in the US: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and the radio airplay charts Mainstream Top 40 and Rhythmic.
^"Top 40/M Cool New Music". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2022. Type Doja Cat in the Search field.