That glow you're experiencing is the presence of music royalty, as Mariah Carey joins us for an Audacy Check In to talk about the making of her new single, "Type Dangerous," her newfound creative freedom, and her impact on Black culture. The Ultimate Icon zoomed in for a talk with Audacy's Poet to unpack it all, and Mimi still has us feeling emotions deeper than we've ever dreamed of.

Mariah returned earlier this month with "Type Dangerous," the first track off her upcoming 16th studio album, which she tells Poet was initially inspired by hearing a classic Eric B. & Rakim track in a restaurant. "'Eric B. Is President' has always been one of my favorite, favorite songs," she reveals. "I happened to hear it in this restaurant of all the places. They were just playing songs, you know, from their list and whatever and I was like, 'I haven't heard this song in so long.' This is my favorite."

"Obviously now the lyrics are different and there's a melody on it and all that, but it's one of my favorite songs."

Just the concept of hearing a song in a restaurant and bringing the idea to the studio is part of the creative freedom that Carey is afforded under her new record deal and of course legendary status. But it wasn't always the case. "It was always very difficult for me to find creative freedom earlier in my journey, because when you start out and you're really young and you really have a point of view, but people don't want to give you that because, it's like, 'who's this young girl to think she can do whatever she wants.' and so that was always a little bit... I don't want to say annoying, but it was annoying. Now it's great to be able to have my own grade of freedom and also work with a great team of people that I love and appreciate."

It's all earned for the GRAMMY-winning star, who was also just honored as 'The Ultimate Icon' at the BET Awards. So how does it feel to finally get her flowers for her contribution to music and Black culture? "I mean, that makes me feel like I'm worth something," reflects Mariah. "That's one of the biggest things that I could think about and really just be about, you know, so I'm very thankful for the love and support and everything that's come my way because I had a difficult childhood and, you know, I'm not gonna cry on about it, but it was difficult and feeling the love from so many people is magical."

For those embarking on their own creative journeys, Carey shares a bit of wisdom from her mother. "You just really have to believe that you can do it, if you're passionate about it and you love it, then you have to put your whole self into it. You really have to be determined and know for the fact that you're going to do this. My mother would tell me, she said, 'don't say if I make it, say when I make it.' And I think that was good advice. We didn't always get along, but that was really good advice that she gave me."

To hear more from Mariah about her children, the deep cut from her catalog that she loves, and much more, check out the full Audacy Check In above.