 By November 2004 , Carey had already recorded several songs for The Emancipation of Mimi . Island Records chairman L.A. Reid suggested Carey that she compose a few more strong singles to ensure the project 's commercial success . Noting that she had written some of her best work with Jermaine Dupri , Reid recommended her to meet with Dupri for a brief studio session . Carey headed to Atlanta to collaborate with Dupri where the duo wrote and produced " Shake It Off " and " Get Your Number " , which were eventually released as the album 's third and fourth singles . ( Following this recording session , " Shake It Off " was briefly selected as the album 's lead single , replacing the originally planned " Say Somethin ' " . ) Carey returned to Atlanta for a second meeting with Dupri ; during this trip , Carey and Dupri penned the last two songs to be included on the album , " We Belong Together " and " It 's Like That " . In an interview with Billboard , Carey described her sentiments regarding the song during the production stage : 
