Lord Tariq, Peter Gunz - Déjà Vu (Uptown Baby)

What this video is

Released December 9, 1997 on Columbia Records, 'Déjà Vu (Uptown Baby)' became Billboard's #1 rap song of 1998 and a defining Bronx borough anthem in the late Golden Age of East Coast hip-hop. Sampling Steely Dan's 1977 jazz-funk track 'Black Cow,' the song fused uptown New York street identity with sophisticated jazz-pop source material, creating a crossover party anthem. The sample clearance required Lord Tariq…

Why it matters

A landmark Bronx hip-hop anthem representing the genre's late-1990s peak commercialization and jazz-sampling tradition. As Billboard's top rap song of 1998, the track documented the regionalist pride movement central to East Coast hip-hop post-1996, while its production budget and stadium visuals…

The director

American film, commercial, and music video director. Made his music video debut in 1991 with '2 Hyped Brothers & a Dog.' Rose to prominence in 1997 directing high-budget hip-hop videos. Subsequent credits include Alicia Keys' 'Fallin'' and 'You Don't Know My…