"It's Like That" is an up-tempo R&B club song filled with elements of hip hop instrumentation that features ad-libs by Fatman Scoop and Dupri.
The song was heavily promoted by Carey in a number of places, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Good Morning America, BET, VH1 and more, while being performed on several of her concert tours.
In 2001, Carey released her debut film Glitter, which was met with an overwhelmingly negative response critically and commercially, followed by personal and professional struggles.
[4] After posting a personally expressive letter on her official site, Carey checked into a hospital in Connecticut because of an "emotional and physical breakdown".
[8] After being signed by Island Records and starting her own imprint, MonarC Entertainment, Carey released her intended "comeback" album Charmbracelet (2002).
[6] On November 18, 2004, she revealed on her website that she would return to music and announced that the album would be called The Emancipation of Mimi, stating, "For the first time in my life, I feel free and unashamed to be who I really am," she wrote.
"[9] Originally, "Stay the Night" was planned to be The Emancipation of Mimi's lead single, with an online music forum based in the United Kingdom, announcing that it would be in stores on October 11, 2004, in the region.
Then, Island Records head L.A. Reid suggested Carey travel to Atlanta for a period of three days to work with Jermaine Dupri.
[19] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine went further, writing that in the song Carey arrives at the party "already shit-faced": "I came to have a party/Open off that Bacardi…Purple taking me higher/I'm lifted and I like it.
After Dupri’s ad-libs, the whistle drops out and allows Carey’s voice to lead the hand claps and throbbing bass, while the chorus spawns a chord progression with strings and piano.
"[21] During an interview for MTV, Mariah explained the meaning of the lines, "Them chickens is ash and I'm lotion," stating: "We were sitting around basically having jokes.
[24] Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian wrote a positive review for the song, praising the "headbanging Fatman Scoop rap", also noting that "Carey is very much a presence, unfurling her three octaves judiciously.
"[25] Keith Caulfield from Billboard magazine assured that "Mariah Carey finally returns with a certifiably hot track.
"[27] Vibe editor Dimitri Enrlich wrote that the song is an "aggressive, off kilter joint with harshly stiff beat", pointing out that it was going to solidify comeback to her MTV crowd.
"[28] Daniel Incognito of Sputnikmusic wrote that the song "offers another example of Carey taking the entire workload, and pulling it off with variety and a delicate touch.
"[21] Adam Webb of BBC Music wrote the track "successfully re-writes Christina Aguilera's career blueprint, that even a typically bull-in-a-china-shop contribution from Fatman Scoop can't ruin it.
"[30] The New York Times editor Jon Pareles wrote a more mixed review, calling it "a come-on set to bare-bones electro from the producer Jermaine Dupri to stay contemporary, sometimes reducing her voice to the processed nasality of Britney Spears.
Several guests are seen wearing masks, and there are celebrity cameo appearances by Brian McKnight, Randy Jackson, and the two featured rappers on the track, Dupri and Fatman Scoop.
Carey is singing along to Fatman Scoop's outro rap when she sees a party guest (played by Wentworth Miller) taking off his mask and revealing himself to be an ex-lover of hers.