"Don't Like Me" is a song by American rapper

Rico Nasty Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly (born May 7, 1997), known professionally as Rico Nasty, is an American rapper from Prince George's County, Maryland. She began Self-publishing, self-releasing while in high school, and had released five solo mixtapes by ...

featuring fellow American rappers

Don Toliver Caleb Zackery "Don" Toliver ( ; born June 12, 1994) is an American rapper and singer. He emerged to fame in 2018 with the release of his debut mixtape, ''Donny Womack'', and his feature on the song "Can't Say" by fellow Houston rapper Travis Sco ...

and

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He is credited, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Jeezy, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream a ...

. The song was produced by

Buddah Bless Ty-Ron Buddah Douglas Sr. (born February 8, 1992), known professionally as Buddah Bless, is an American record producer, songwriter, and former rapper. He has been credited on several commercially successful singles in hip hop music, namely " Big ...

, who also wrote the song along with the three artists. It was released on October 22, 2020 through

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

and Rico's own Sugar Trap label as the third single from her debut studio album, '' Nightmare Vacation''.

Background and recording

"Don't Like Me" served as the third single off of ''Nightmare Vacation'' and was preceded by " Own It" and "

iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...

". Mastering for the track was handled by Chris Athens, while mixing was handled by

Jaycen Joshua Jaycen Joshua is an American audio engineer based in California. He won three Grammy Awards: the first for mixing ''Growing Pains'' for Mary J. Blige in 2007, followed by '' El mal querer'' for Rosalía in 2018, and ''Hyperspace'' for Beck in ...

, with assistance from DJ Riggins, Jacob Richards and Mike Seaberg.

Composition and lyrics

In terms of lyrics, the song was described as "a

theme song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

for winners and those who have no problem bragging about their sexual prowess." Aaron Williams of

Uproxx Uproxx Studios (stylized as ''UPROXX'') is an American music, entertainment and popular culture website and content studio. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The website was acquired in 2014 by Woven Digital (which later ...

noted that the three lyrically "explain all the reasons their haters can't seem to find it in their hearts to let go", while "Toliver holds down the hook and Gucci provides his own verse running down all the reasons they have to flex." Rico Nasty and Don Toliver both repeat the chorus from two different perspectives, while

name-dropping Name-dropping (or name-checking) is the practice of naming or alluding to important people or institutions in order to indicate one's association with them. The term often connotes an attempt to impress others; it is usually regarded negatively, ...

Gucci Mane in the

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

. Gucci later takes over and performs his verse before the former two each repeat the hook once again and the song ends. The song is in the key of E Minor at a fast-paced (146 BPM) beat.

Critical reception

Chris DeVille of ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

'' described the song as "a woozy computerized banger that blurs the line between

rap Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

and

experimental pop Experimental pop is pop music that cannot be categorized within traditional musical boundaries or which attempts to push elements of existing popular forms into new areas. It may incorporate experimental music, experimental techniques such as m ...

". Jon Blistein of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' wrote that it "boasts an ebullient beat with soft synth plunks shimmering atop booming bass and crisp drums". Blistein also described the chorus as "instantly memorable" and Toliver's verse as "delightful". Jackson Langford of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' also noted that Rico "deliver da more relaxed and understated performance than she's given throughout the year." Sajae Elder of ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'' praised the production, writing that "the soft synths and booming bassline act as the perfect backdrop for Rico and Toliver's catchy shared hook."

References

{{authority control 2020 songs 2020 singles Atlantic Records singles Rico Nasty songs Gucci Mane songs Songs written by Gucci Mane Don Toliver songs Songs written by Don Toliver Songs written by Buddah Bless Song recordings produced by Buddah Bless Songs written by Rico Nasty