This Week On Billboard: Wiz Khalifa - Black And Yellow

This Week On Billboard is where I unabashedly critique the current no. 1 hit on Billboard.com, the major yardstick for what's "hot" in music today. In order to simplify the review for those who don't want to read the whole article, each song is given a "!" rating, in which the finest grabs five of them. It's been gone for a while, now it's back after a 22-month hiatus.

A review of this week's number one single right after Wiz Khalifa sips Clicquot and rocks yellow diamonds




Uh-huh, you know what it is.

I already professed my love for “Black And Yellow” in My Year in Lists 2010: Singles! list, and nothing much has changed since that entry was written. It was great in 2010 and it’s still pretty fucking great in 2011. Like I said back then, it’s mostly all about the color combination it represents. Have you ever seen anything black and yellow that wasn’t awesome? I already mentioned that killer bees and warning signs as examples of formidable black-and-yellow things, but there are also Hummers, wrestlers, Transformers, Pokemons, New York City cabs, and Mortal Kombat ninjas. I understand black-and-yellow isn’t for everyone though; some, like little girl rapper Lyrikkal, prefer “Pink And Purple”. Even I think that light-blue-and-yellow of the Denver Nuggets and San Diego Chargers is still more stylistically appealing, and the uncomplicated black-and-white of the Oakland Raiders is slightly more menacing. But nevertheless, black-and-yellow’s case as one of the most bad-ass color pairing out there is hard to argue against.

But let’s be honest, “Black And Yellow” became massively popular because the single was unofficially delegated the Pittsburgh Steelers’ anthem during their playoff run, and it wouldn’t have reached the top of the Billboard charts if the team didn’t play in this year’s Superbowl. I say that not because it doesn’t deserve mainstream recognition, since the “black and yellow” vocal hook is as catchy as a wide receiver and Stargate’s arrangement of sprightly vibraphone notes and stuttering drum track sounds unquestionably glorious. But the timing of the single’s rise to the top is irrefutable. Also, I’m sure that the Steelers benefitted from the song’s success and catchiness as well, that a lot of non-football fans were rooting for the Steelers to win the Superbowl only because they like this song. I, myself, was never much of a Steelers fan, but I thought it was fun to root for them for the sole reason that they had their own theme music. Even though the Packers—supported by Lil’ Wayne’s freestyle “Green And Yellow”—were crowned victors of the NFL championship, Wiz Khalifa succeeded on putting the budding Pittsburgh hip-hop scene on the map.

My friend told me that after discovering Wiz Khalifa and “Black and Yellow” in my 2010 singles list, he fell in love with him instantly and ended up downloading his entire discography afterwards. It’s not really that difficult to fall in love with Wiz Khalifa because his phrasing is fantastic. His verses tend to be spacious, and the breaks in his flow allow the nuances of a hot beat like Stargate’s to flourish. Although I think that “Say Yeah” (#15 in My Year In Lists 2008: Singles!) is better than “Black And Yellow”, Wiz Khalifa is building a pretty impressive singles package with these two hits. One of the best up-and-coming rapper, for sure.



(t5!) score: !!!!!