"Black and Yellow" is a song by American rapper
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, '' Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 20 ...
from his third studio album, ''
Rolling Papers
Rolling paper is a specialty paper used for making cigarettes (commercially manufactured filter cigarettes and individually made roll-your-own cigarettes). Rolling papers are packs of several cigarette-size sheets, often folded inside a cardboar ...
''. It was released on September 14, 2010, as the
lead single from the album. The song was written by Khalifa, along with
Stargate
''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien Einstein–Rosen ...
, who produced it. It was released as a
CD single
A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any s ...
in honor of
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
.
The song peaked at number one on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Wiz Khalifa's first number-one single in the US.
The song is about growing up in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and also Khalifa's car, a yellow
Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles (two of those being pony cars) produced by American automobile manufacturer Dodge. However, the first use of the Challenger name by Dodge was in 1959 for marketing ...
Hemi with black stripes.
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, most of whose colors are black and some variation of gold or yellow.
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 Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
, the hockey team the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have play ...
, and the
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
team the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associat ...
. 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.
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. The song earned Khalifa his first
Grammy nominations, for
Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several c ...
and
Best Rap Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance is an honor presented to recording artists for quality rap performances. It was first presented at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989 and again at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1990, after which poi ...
at the
2012 ceremony.
Chart performance
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. "Black and Yellow" has sold 4,144,922 digital copies since release.
Music video
The music video was directed by Bill Paladino. It was filmed in
Pittsburgh and features sights of the city, including the
U.S. Steel Tower
The U.S. Steel Tower, also known as the Steel Building or USX Tower (1988–2001), is a 64-story skyscraper at 600 Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The interior has of leasable space. Standing tall, it is the tallest buil ...
,
BNY Mellon Center,
PPG Place,
William Penn Hotel
The Omni William Penn Hotel is a 23 floor (3 underground) hotel located at 530 William Penn Place on Mellon Square in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A variety of luminaries have stayed at the hotel, including John F. Kennedy. The hotel sta ...
,
Citizens Bank Tower,
Union Trust Building,
One PNC Plaza
One PNC Plaza is a high-rise office building located in the Golden Triangle neighborhood of the Central Business District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Constructed in 1972, it is 30 stories. It houses the general offices for PN ...
,
K&L Gates Center
K&L Gates Center is a skyscraper office building located in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The building (long known as One Oliver Plaza and briefly as FreeMarkets Center and later Ariba Center) was completed in 1968. It has 39 floors, and ri ...
the
Three Sisters and
Smithfield Street bridges,
Station Square
Station Square is a indoor and outdoor shopping and entertainment complex located in the South Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States across the Monongahela River from the Golden Triangle of downtown Pittsburgh. Station S ...
,
Shannon Hall of the
Art Institute of Pittsburgh
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh was a private college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Shortly before closing in 2019, it was purchased by Dream Center Education Holdings (in turn a division of The Dream Center, a Christian non-profit 501(c)(3) or ...
and the
smoke stacks
A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typi ...
of the former
U.S. Steel Homestead Works at
The Waterfront
The Waterfront is a super-regional open air shopping mall spanning the three boroughs of Homestead, West Homestead, and Munhall near Pittsburgh. The shopping mall sits on land once occupied by U.S. Steel's Homestead Steel Works plant, whic ...
adjacent to the city. The video also prominently features city icons such as the
Terrible Towel
The Terrible Towel is a rally towel associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers, an American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Terrible Towel has spread in popularity; for example, fans take their Towel to famous sites while on ...
, a
rally towel
A rally towel is a sports paraphernalia item and a type of towel often used as a fan symbol in American sports events. The prototype of the modern rally towel was created in 1975 by former Pittsburgh Steelers radio broadcaster Myron Cope and i ...
for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and city sports in general, as well as Pittsburgh Pirates apparel. It was recorded in Chatsworth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA.
In popular culture
*In a 2012 commercial for the video game ''
Madden NFL 13
''Madden NFL 13'' is an American football video game based on the National Football League, published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. EA's Chief Creative Officer, Richard Hilleman, said that defense would receive various changes in mechan ...
'',
Paul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor. He studied theater at the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, before making his acting debut in 1991. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame i ...
sings the song while playing the game as the Pittsburgh Steelers against
Ray Lewis.
*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 song was featured in multiple trailers for ''
The Lego Batman Movie''.
*The song was an anthem for 1% Motorcycle club
Satudarah
MC is a one-percenter outlaw motorcycle club that has spread the globe since being founded in the Netherlands town of Moordrecht in 1990.
It differs from most other outlaw motorcycle clubs in the fact that it welcomes all races into its club, ...
due to its black and yellow club colors.
Remixes
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. 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 Sketchs opening music, "Sketch Switch".
Track listing
*Digital download
#"Black and Yellow" (Explicit Album Version) – 3:37
*Digital download (G-Mix)
#"Black and Yellow" (G-Mix)
(featuring Snoop Dogg, Juicy J & T-Pain) – 4:38
Remakes and freestyles
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.
[ This version also had a remix produced by ]DJ Skee
Scott Keeney (born 15 November 1983), better known by his stage name DJ Skee, is an American artist, television host, radio personality, and entrepreneur. Skee rose to fame as the first DJ to discover and play superstar artists on the radio inc ...
, with a rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
-instrumented backing track; a music video for the DJ Skee remix featured the artists as well as members of the Lakers. 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
Francesco Vigorelli (born 25 February 1979), better known by his stage name Jake La Furia, is an Italian rapper, record producer and radio host. He was formerly a member of the hip hop duo Club Dogo with rapper Gué Pequeno and producer D ...
– Italian version performed by two Italian rappers. The colours refer to Italian football club AC Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seasons ...
.
*"Eff Australia" by Rucka Rucka Ali
Rucka Rucka Ali (born January 27, 1987) is an Israeli-American rapper, singer, radio personality, comedian, YouTuber, and parodist. He is best known for his dark humor, political and topical song parodies on YouTube. Much of his content pokes f ...
– an anti-Australian song parody to the tune of the original.
*"Green and Yellow" by Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...
, representing the Green Bay Packers, who defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
in Super Bowl XLV.[
*"White and Navy" by Fabolous representing New York City, and the New York Yankees.][
*"Black and Yellow (Mike Tomlin)" by ]Wale
Wale or WALE may refer to:
Places
* Wale, Devon, a hamlet in England
* Wale, Tomaszów Mazowiecki County, a village in Poland
People
*Wale (surname)
*Wale (rapper), stage name of American rapper Olubowale Victor Akintimehin
Radio and televisio ...
, in reference to the Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin
Michael Pettaway Tomlin (born March 15, 1972) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the Steelers in 2007, he has led the team to ten playoff runs, se ...
.
*"Yeah Carmelo" by Maino Maino may refer to:
*Maino (rapper)
Jermaine John Coleman (born August 30, 1978), better known by his stage name Maino, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York City.
His debut single " Hi Hater" peaked at #16 on Billboard's Hot Rap Son ...
, in reference to Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team me ...
of the New York Knicks.[
*"Black and Red" by ]Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ.
Early life
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...
representing the Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
.
*"Black and Orange" by San Quinn
Quincy Brooks IV (born October 24, 1977), better known by his stage name San Quinn, is an American rapper from San Francisco, California. He is the cousin of Messy Marv, Stevie Johnson, and Ya Boy.
Early life
Brooks was born in Oakland, Calif ...
representing the San Francisco Giants in their 2010 World Series
The 2010 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2010 season. The 106th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Texas Rangers and the Nat ...
victory.
*"White and Purple" by Chet Haze (son of actor Tom Hanks), representing Northwestern University.
*"Black and Yellow" by Tyler Ward
Tyler Ray Ward (born March 12, 1984) is an American independent singer, songwriter, and producer. On his YouTube channel, he has over 2 million subscribers with 5+ billion views. Ward also has a strong social media following on sites like Facebo ...
and Crew and Cobus, a rock version.
*"Black and Ghetto" by Serius Jones
Saleem "Serius Jones" Bligen (born December 25, 1982) is an American rapper from New Jersey who is widely known for his freestyle battles. Jones won 12 consecutive battles at New York's Monday Night Fight Klub before facing and beating former Fig ...
describing the lifestyle of being an African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...
gangster.
*"Green and Purple" by Kritikal which refers to marijuana and the culture surrounding it.
*"Black and Yellow" by Chris Cobbins
Christopher Lee Cobbins, (born August 30, 1984), who goes by the stage name Chris Cobbins, is an American Christian hip hop musician and Christian R&B artist from Kansas City, Missouri. His debut album, ''Hello World'', released on October 8, ...
*"Gold N Blue" by 6'6 240 about West Virginia University's football team the West Virginia Mountaineers
The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent West Virginia University, an American university located in Morgantown, West Virginia. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I. The Mo ...
.
*"Black Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro shar ...
" by T-Pain, Fabolous, Maino Maino may refer to:
*Maino (rapper)
Jermaine John Coleman (born August 30, 1978), better known by his stage name Maino, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York City.
His debut single " Hi Hater" peaked at #16 on Billboard's Hot Rap Son ...
and Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...
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
Mihail Stanislavov Mihaylov ( bg, Михаил Станиславов Михайлов) born on December 27, 1972, better known as Big Sha or by his previous name, Misho The Slap ( bg, Мишо Шамара), is a Bulgarian rapper from Varna, B ...
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.
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
Dominick Antron Wickliffe (born September 23, 1976), better known by his stage names Crooked I and Kxng Crooked, (stylised as KXNG Crooked and pronounced "King Crooked") is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. He is best known as a for ...
(who included a chorus of "packing metal"), Donnis
Ladonnis Decurtis Crump (born June 2, 1984), better known by the stage name Donnis, is an American rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia. He released his debut mixtape, ''Diary of an ATL Brave'', in 2009, and signed to Atlantic Records in 2010.
Ea ...
, Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...
, Tyga, Novi Novak, and Layzie Bone and Flesh-n-Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.[
]
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black And Yellow
2010 singles
Wiz Khalifa songs
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Song recordings produced by Stargate (record producers)
Record Store Day releases
Sports in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Steelers
2010 songs
Songs written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen
Songs written by Tor Erik Hermansen
Songs written by Wiz Khalifa
Songs about cars