Remixes
Carey recorded an official remix version for "We Belong Together", which she produced with DJ Clue. The remix features vocals from rappers Jadakiss and Styles P, two-thirds of the hip-hop trio The LOX. The remix is fundamentally different from the original, described as having a "a faster, springier backbeat" by Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times. Lyrically, the song is similar to the album version of the song, in which both rappers' verses contemplate on past memories. Styles P raps "Past is the past, just let it be bygones / Matter of fact I know a fly song that we could vibe on", which Sanneh writes "Cheerfully out of place, he sounds like a man who has wandered into the wrong summertime party, but so what? He figures he might as well stick around and enjoy it." In two separate reviews of The Emancipation of Mimi, Sanneh referred to the song as both "great" and "excellent", in regards to the remix.
Aside from the album version's main remix, several others were commissioned and released, although none contained new vocals from Carey. Peter Rauhofer created the "Reconstruction Mix/Atlantic Soul Vocal Mix" and "Atlantic Soul Vocal Mix", which both feature a synthetic bass line, a piano and guitar line, and distinctive hi-hats that produce a more up-tempo, hard-hitting beat.
Read more about this topic: We Belong Together