"Black and Yellow" is a song by American rapper Wiz Khalifa from his third studio album, Rolling Papers. It was released on September 14, 2010, as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Khalifa, along with Stargate, who produced it. It was released as a CD single in honor of Record Store Day.[2] The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Wiz Khalifa's first number-one single in the US.[3]
The song is about growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and also Khalifa's car, a yellow Dodge Charger Hemi with black stripes.[4] He has stated that he got the car in those colors as a tribute to his hometown of Pittsburgh, whose official colors are black and gold, and its professional sports teams, all of whose colors are black and some variation of gold or yellow.[4] The song itself does not mention Pittsburgh or sports, although the song's music video made the connection to Pittsburgh explicit, showing various iconic locations in the city, as well as apparel associated with the football team the Pittsburgh Steelers, the hockey team the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the baseball team the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the year after it was released, "Black and Yellow" spawned dozens of remixes, parodies and remakes, both in the U.S. and internationally, many of them made in tribute to a local sports team.[5][6][7] At Super Bowl XLV in 2011, which featured the Steelers competing against the Green Bay Packers, the Steelers used "Black and Yellow" as their fight song, while the Packers used a remix by Lil Wayne called "Green and Yellow", marking the first time both teams at the Super Bowl had used the same song.[8] The song earned Khalifa his first Grammy nominations, for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance at the 2012 ceremony.[9]
Chart performanceedit
On the issue dated October 2, 2010, "Black and Yellow" debuted at No. 100 on the Billboard Hot 100. It then dropped out the following week and re-entered at No. 64 on the issue dated October 30, 2010. On its eighteenth charting week, the song rose to No. 1 on the issue dated February 19, 2011, selling 198,000 digital copies that week.[10] "Black and Yellow" has sold 4,144,922 digital copies since release.[11]
In a 2012 commercial for the video game Madden NFL 13, Paul Rudd sings the song while playing the game as the Pittsburgh Steelers against Ray Lewis.[12]
On April 7, 2014, Jimmy Kimmel Live! held a skit called "American Sign Language Rap Battle." Khalifa performed the song as three ASL-certified interpreters competed.
The official remix, "Black & Yellow (G-Mix)" features fellow American rappers Snoop Dogg, Juicy J, and T-Pain. Wiz Khalifa has a new verse on the track. The song leaked on December 12, 2010, but was officially released on December 16.[13] A video for the remix was shot and was released on January 8, 2011. A remix by just T-Pain, "Black & Yellow (T-Mix)", featured the verse that was later put on the official remix. An anime version fan remix was also made combining the song and Hidamari Sketch's opening music, "Sketch Switch".
Many remakes have been made, mostly in tribute to other sports teams, referring to their respective pair of colors. Some of the notable remakes include:
"Purp & Yellow" by The Game, Snoop Dogg, and YG, representing the Los Angeles Lakers.[3] This version also had a remix produced by DJ Skee, with a rock-instrumented backing track; a music video for the DJ Skee remix featured the artists as well as members of the Lakers.[16] An extended mix was released the next day, also featuring Kendrick Lamar, Joe Moses and Thurzday.
"Rossonero (Red and Black)" by Denny La Home feat. Jake La Furia – Italian version performed by two Italian rappers. The colors refer to Italian football club AC Milan.
"Eff Australia" by Rucka Rucka Ali – an anti-Australian song parody to the tune of the original.
"Black Camaro" by T-Pain, Fabolous, Maino and Young Jeezy representing the return of the Camaro in 7 years for the 2010 Fifth Generation Camaro.
"Byalo, Zeleno i Cherveno (White, Green, and Red)" by Big Sha ft. Sarafa, Xplicit, Konsa representing the Flag of Bulgaria. In 2012, the song caused nationwide controversy culminating in a government lawsuit against the artist, subsequently dropped in 2013.[26][27]
In addition, a number of freestyle versions have been released, of artists rapping over "Black and Yellow"'s instrumental track, without any overt reference to the song or to sports teams. These include versions by Crooked I (who included a chorus of "packing metal"), Donnis, Young Jeezy, Tyga, Novi Novak, and Layzie Bone and Flesh-n-Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.[18]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Referencesedit
^"A$AP Rocky and Wiz Khalifa review – growling god among men and laid-back lothario". The Guardian. October 18, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
^"Record Store Day – Wiz Khalifa". Record Store Day.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
^ abcde"Wiz Khalifa's "Black And Yellow" Spawns A Litany Of Remixes To Remember". MTV.com. February 5, 2011. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
^ ab"Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa on Songfacts.com". Retrieved July 3, 2013.
^ abMapes, Jillian (January 13, 2011). "Watch: 4 Remakes of Wiz Khalifa's 'Black & Yellow'". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
^JNR (February 26, 2011). "'Birmingham – Blue and White'". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
^"iTunes – Music – Black and Yellow – Single by Wiz Khalifa". Itunes.apple.com. September 14, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
^"iTunes – Music – Black and Yellow (feat. Juicy J, Snoop Dogg & T-Pain) [G Mix] – Single by Wiz Khalifa". iTunes.apple.com. April 3, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
^"The Game and Snoop Dogg release the video for 'Purp & Yellow' remix". Los Angeles Times Blogs - Pop & Hiss. February 21, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
^Ziegbe, Mawuse (February 4, 2011). "Lil Wayne Calls 'Green And Yellow' 'Perfect' Comeback Remix". MTV.com. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
^ abc"Rating The Remix: "Black And Yellow"". PrefixMag.com. November 8, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
^"Wiz Khalifa: le Hit "Black And Yellow" et l'album "Rolling Papers"". MusiqueRadio.com. February 2, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
^Port, Ian (November 3, 2010). "Video for S.F. Giants Ode 'Black & Orange' Brings Out City Rappers En Masse". Retrieved March 2, 2011.
^"Tom Hanks son...next great rapper?". Candy95.com. January 13, 2011. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
^Maloney, Devon (May 1, 2011). "Uncharted Territory: DJ BL3ND Still On Top, Childish Gambino and Zaz Debut". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
^Jones, Serius (December 4, 2010). "Serius Jones Black and Ghetto music video". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
^"Kritikal Green and Purple music video". YouTube. December 29, 2010. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
^"The anatomy of 6'6 240's 'Gold N Blue'". September 11, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
^"Big Sha ft. Sarafa, Xplicit Konsa - Бяло, Зелено и Червено". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
^"Прекратиха делото срещу Мишо Шамара и Камен Стоянов-Конса".
^"Top 40 Urban Albums & Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. February 28, 2011. Archived from the original on February 16, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
^"Wiz Khalifa – Black and Yellow" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
^"Wiz Khalifa – Black and Yellow" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
^"Wiz Khalifa – Black and Yellow" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
^"Wiz Khalifa Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201112 into search. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
^"Wiz Khalifa – Black and Yellow". Tracklisten. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
^"Wiz Khalifa: Black and Yellow" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
^"Wiz Khalifa – Black and Yellow" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
^"Wiz Khalifa – Black and Yellow" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
^"germancharts.de - Airplay Charts Deutschland". germancharts.de. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
^"Wiz Khalifa – Black and Yellow" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
^"Chart #1766 – Monday 28 March 2011: Top 40 Singles Chart". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. March 28, 2011. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
^"Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay New. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201111 into search. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
^"Wiz Khalifa – Black and Yellow". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
^"Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Wiz Khalifa; 'Black and Yellow')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
^"Italian single certifications – Wiz Khalifa – Black & Yellow" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved December 2, 2019. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Black & Yellow" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
^"Latest Gold / Platinum Singles". Radioscope. August 21, 2011. Archived from the original on August 31, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
^"Sverigetopplistan – Wiz Khalifa" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved December 2, 2019.