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Who Dat chant history.. (WHO-DATPEDIA)

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Posted 08-20-2010 at 09:53 PM by Saintswrath
Updated 08-23-2010 at 10:19 AM by Saintswrath

This blog article is about the chant and saying, Who dat?<o></o>
Who dat? is a song and a chant of team support, used especially by fans of the New Orleans Saints, an American football team. The entire chant is: "Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say gonna beat dem Saints?" "Who dat" may also be used as a noun, describing a Saints fan.<o></o>
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Origins<o></o>
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The chant of "Who Dat?" originated in minstrel shows and vaudeville acts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was taken up by jazz and big band performers in the 1920s and 30s.<o></o>
The first reference to "Who Dat?" can be found in the 19th Century in the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar, first in his poem "When Malindy Sings" and later in his lyrics to the song "Who Dat Say Chicken in dis Crowd.<o></o>
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Origins of the "Who Dat?" chant<o>
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"Who Dat" became part of a chant for fans cheering on their favorite team. It has been debated exactly where it started, but some claim it began with Southern University Jaguars fans either in the late 1960s or early 1970s and went "Who dat talkin' 'bout beatin' dem Jags".<o></o><o></o>
Another claim is that it was connected with St. Augustine High School, a historically African-American all-boys Catholic high school in New Orleans, and yet another is that the cheer originated at Patterson High School in Patterson, Louisiana (home of Saints running back Dalton Hilliard).In the late 1970s fans at Alcorn State University and Louisiana State University picked up on the cheer.<o></o><o></o>
By 1983 the cheer had become so popular among fans that the New Orleans Saints organization officially adopted it during the tenure of coach Bum Phillips, and Aaron Neville (along with local musicians Sal and Steve Monistere and Carlo Nuccio) recorded a version of "When the Saints Go Marching In" that incorporated the chant of "Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints" (performed by a group of Saints players). The song quickly became a major local hit.
Meanwhile, in about 1981 Cincinnati Bengals fans and players had started with their similar "Who Dey" cheer ("Who Dey say they gonna beat them Bengals").

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"Who Dat?" spin-off chants
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After the Saints won the NFC Championship Game on January 24, 2010, against the Minnesota Vikings in the Superdome, fans from all across New Orleans, including fans who were exiting the game, started a Mardi Gras-style "Who Dat" on Bourbon Street with modified lyrics, chanting, "Who Dat, Who Dat, Who Dat in the Super Bowl!"<o></o><o></o>
Who Dat Nation<o></o><o></o>
In recent years the phrase "Who Dat Nation" has become a popular term for the community of Saints fans.[10][11][12] According to Bobby Hebert, formerly a Saints quarterback and currently a sports commentator in New Orleans, the term "Who Dat Nation" originated after a highly anticipated 2006 game between the Saints and the favored Dallas Cowboys, which the Saints won; after the game, listeners from a wide geographic range called in to Hebert's radio show on WWL (AM), and Hebert commented, "Man, there's a whole Who Dat Nation out there."<o></o><o></o><o></o>
Ownership controversy<o></o>
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In January 2010, the NFL sent cease and desist letters to several Louisiana t-shirt shop owners ordering them to cease producing t-shirts bearing the phrase "Who dat". According to some recipients of these letters, the NFL was claiming to own the trademark to the term "Who dat", and that unlicensed t-shirts bearing the phrase would cause confusion among fans of the Saints about the official status of the merchandise.<o></o>
On January 27, Fleurty Girl Tee Shirts Tweeted about their<o></o> whodat tee shirt cease and desist order from the NFL, and NewOrleans.com and Huffington Post interviewed the Monisteres about the NFL's claims in relation to their company Who Dat?, Inc. The next day, the brothers released a statement claiming rights to the phrase to NewOrleans.com, which they registered in 1983 after recording the version of "When the Saints Go Marching In" that incorporated the chant.The Monistere's record is listed as inactive, meaning that it was not renewed upon expiration. The Saints organization, through their company The New Orleans Louisiana Saints Limited Partnership, also registered the mark "Who Dat" in 1988 when used in conjunction with "fleur-de-lis design",but later the Saints released their claim of ownership to WhoDat, Inc., asserting that they owned the phrase.<o></o><o></o>
On March 4, 2010, the Monisteres' company, Who Dat? Inc., filed suit in federal court against the Saints, NFL Properties, and the state of Louisiana, alleging improper interference with their business interests.<o></o>
The suit alleges: in 1987 the New Orleans Saints were granted a license by Who Dat?, Inc. to use the Who Dat phrase; in that agreement, the Saints agreed that the mark was original and that Monistere was the first use owner of the trademark; the Saints also agreed to never challenge Monistere's ownership of the mark OR aid any one else in doing so; and the Saints were to also help protect the mark from infringement by others on behalf of the licensors (Who Dat?, Inc.)<o></o>
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Recorded versions<o></o><o></o>
* Who Dat? - Aaron Neville<o></o>
* Who Dat (Going to the Super Bowl) - Ashley Forrestier<o></o>
* Who Dat - Royal Crown Revue<o></o>
* Dat "Who Dat" Jazz - Olympia Brass Band<o></o>
* The Who Dat Roll - Williams Riley<o></o>
* Who Dat? - Young Jeezy
* Who Dat? Tom Tom Club<o></o>
* Who Dat - J. Cole<o></o>
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In hip hop<o></o>
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"Who Dat" is the name of the 8th single off of The Recession by Young Jeezy. They say who dat?<o></o>
A variation of the "Who dat" chant was also used in the Lil' Wayne (New Orleans rapper) single "A Milli". Who dat say they gon beat Lil Wayne?<o></o>
JT Money has a 1999 single called "Who Dat." The song was a hit, but was likely not intended to have any relation to the Saints or Vaudeville.<o></o>
"Who dat" is also used in the song "Holla Back" by New Orleans-based rapper Juvenile: "They want a pimp to give them some money, but I don't do that. But baby I'm a Saints fan that's why I say who dat."
In 2009, New Orleans based artist K. Gates recorded “Black and Gold (Who Dat)” based on Ying Yang Twins’ “Halftime (Get Crunk)”.
In 2009, New Orleans rapper Birdman chants a "Who Dat." in the Single Wasted(Remix)<o></o>
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(THIS ARTICLE WAS REFERENCED FROM WIKIPEDIA.. MOST OF THE ARTICLE WAS EDITED FOR ADDED CONTENT AND ENHANCED.)<o></o>
This is an addition to Blackandgold.com Saints reference blog-guides.<o></o>
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Feel free to add your own entry to this Who-datPedia reference.
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