Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)

"Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)"
Single by Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz
from the album Make It Reign
Released	December 9, 1997
Format	Vinyl, CD
Recorded	1997
Genre	East Coast hip hop, g-funk
Length	5:03
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Walter Becker Donald Fagen [1]
Producer(s)	KNS

"Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" is a song by American hip hop duo Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz, released in December 1997, as the lead single from their debut album, Make It Reign. The song, produced by production team KNS, was a huge success for Tariq and Gunz, becoming a hit in both the United States and in Canada, peaking at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number six on the Canadian Singles Chart. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 31, 1998 for sales of one million copies. However, the duo's success would be short-lived, as they broke up in 1999 without releasing a follow-up album or single.

Three remixes were made for the song. The Frankenstein remix produced by Frank "Frankenstein" Fallico, the Pro Black remix produced by Ayatollah and a Bad Boy remix that was made by Mase, The LOX and Puff Daddy.

The song is built around a sample of Steely Dan's "Black Cow." However, Steely Dan successfully sued the production for copyright infringement, since Black Cow was sampled without first obtaining copyright permission from the songwriters and their publishing company, which led to the great majority of the money generated from Deja Vu being forfeited back to Steely Dan.

The song Daydreamin' by Tatyana Ali released later in 1998 used the same Black Cow sample and featured both Tariq and Gunz. Gunz even mentions hearing Black Cow and being inspired to rap to the beat.

A-Side

1. "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" (Album Version) - 4:44
2. "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" (Instrumental) - 4:43
3. "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" (Acapella) - 4:29

B-Side

1. "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" (Frankenstein Remix) - 4:40
2. "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" (Frankenstein Remix Instrumental) - 4:42
3. "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" (Pro Black Remix) - 4:32
4. "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" (Pro Black Remix Instrumental) - 4:29

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1998) Peak position Canada (Canadian Singles Chart) 6 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[2] 29 UK Singles (UK Singles Chart) 21 Billboard Hot 100 9 Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 4 Billboard Hot Rap Singles 1 Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales 1 Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 10

Year-end charts Chart (1998) Position U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] 36 Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments United States (RIAA)[4] Platinum 1,000,000[5]

References

1. Ascap entry for song
2. "Charts.org.nz – Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz – Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)". Top 40 Singles.
3. "Billboard Top 100 - 1998". Retrieved 2010-12-15.
4. "American single certifications – Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz – Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
5. "Best-Selling Records of 1998". Billboard (BPI Communications Inc.) 111 (5): 75. January 30, 1999. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 31, 2015.