T-Pain ft. Kehlani - I Like Dat

Sheeeeeeesh! This is the collaboration I didn’t know I needed. It’s one of those songs that I have on repeat, singing to the top of my lungs, and sweating profusely from going too hard. To put it simply, it’s a slap.

The track starts off with a ten second sample of T-Pain’s “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” that immediately pulls you in and takes you back to the early 2000s. It has me snapping, bouncing my shoulders, and cranking my wrist like I’m revving a motorcycle, the same way I did in middle school. Like most of T-Pain’s works, it’s a fun song that invites people to get up out of their seats and bop to the beat.

What adds another layer to this summer hit is that “I Like Dat” feels like a sequel to “Buy U a Drank.” Back in 2007, he was impressing girls by buying drinks. In 2021, he realizes that’s not going to work when he’s face to face with an independent woman. He pokes fun at his younger self with lines like “She don’t want drinks no more if you ain’t bringin’ no dough to the table” and “That lil’ bit of drank you tried to buy, stop it.” She has her own money and he’s got to offer her more than alcohol to get on her level.

The cherry on top is Kehlani’s verse. The R&B queen’s voice is both sweet and assertive. She drives the melody that lures you in followed by the bite in her lyrics to keep scrubs away. She finds all the right moments in the snare and bass hits to go hard lyrically. She makes it clear that everything she has she got on her own. If she’s with you it’s because she wants you and not because she needs you.

Kehlani and T-Pain have the chemistry to fill the pockets of harmony. Their vocals compliment each other cohesively like they were meant to surf the beat together. If you’re looking for a bass-bumpin’, boss ass bitch lovin’, get up and start groovin’ R&B song, this is it.