Below is the final draft, that I submitted for grading, of this paper. I have included Professor Van Kley’s comments in parentheses, bolded, after the corresponding content in the paper.

Black and Yellow: Wiz Khalifa’s Regional Representation

Large, Northeastern, urban centers are known for their diversity. These cities attract a variety of people and, as a result, often lack unity. It is rare that a region with such an immense range of people can connect its residents through a shared experience or emotion about the place that they call home and, when it does happen, that sensation has a lot of power. In 2010, Wiz Khalifa released his song “Black and Yellow,” essentially an ode to Pittsburgh, and the city’s residents showered the song with unswerving love and support. The song received a lot of praise because it appeared to represent the varied experiences of Pittsburgh natives, qualifying it as a prime document for critical regionalist analysis. Critical regionalism focuses on the unique aspects of a place and analyzes how an area’s culture preserves these features (An important definition for your audience). The music video, released later that year, features recognizable sights in the city and residents of the area themselves. This solidified the region’s connection with the song and it was soon adopted by all of the major sports teams, becoming the unofficial anthem for the city. While Wiz Khalifa’s song aims to represent diverse experiences, “Black and Yellow” flattens the identity of the city by condensing it into one person’s experience, thus silencing other perspectives on Pittsburgh’s culture. Since “Black and Yellow” lacks a diverse representation of Pittsburgh, the song is not a critical regionalist piece. (OK. In many ways, this is a successful introduction. You offer excellent shared context, and you set up a “seems-like” starting position—the song feels like a unifying, genuine expression of Pittsburgh culture- And you go on to respond to that starting position very clearly- I do wonder if you might be missing out on a chance to convince your audience that this response is significant for them. “So what?” they might ask. Why should they care if the song is not CR?-  Ensuring that your audience comes away with a clear sense of why your question matters should be a key goal for the introduction in project 2)

Two of the foremost writers concerned with critical regionalism are Keith Eggener and Douglas Reichert Powell. Although the two disagree about the effectiveness of this critical lens, they agree on what makes a document an accurate representation of a region. In order to understand the two author’s disagreement, it is necessary to have an understanding of the purpose of critical regionalism. Kenneth Frampton, the father of critical regionalism, wrote that “the fundamental strategy of critical regionalism is to mediate the impact of universal civilization with elements derived indirectly from the peculiarities of a particular place” (Eggener 228). Critical regionalism was created as a reaction to universalization and focuses on the unique and diverse aspects of a place to combat the homogenizing tendencies of modernization. Although Eggener is a critic of this lens, he agrees that in order for a document to be truly critical regionalist, it must be showcase diverse voices rather than using one person’s experience as representative for the entire area. Powell, on the other hand, supports critical regionalism and updates Frampton’s conception of the concept, defining a region as “an understanding of some places’ commonalities with, and differences from, other places” rather than a geographical location. He also focuses on the diverse voices that make up these commonalities and differences and thus provides common ground between his perspective and Eggener’s. Although Eggener and Powell disagree on the applications of critical regionalism, they agree that representing diverse voices is a fundamental tenant of critical regionalism (Very clear summary of key ideas here).

Wiz Khalifa’s music video for his song, “Black and Yellow”, features numerous visuals that evoke an authentic, local perspective of Pittsburgh (A perspective of Pittsburgh that seems authentically local?). The video begins with multiple shots spanning the Pittsburgh skyline and features many upscale commercial complexes and impressive skyscrapers including the BNY Mellon Center and One PNC Plaza. All of the landmarks are iconic and recognizable to Pittsburgh natives, but perhaps not to outsiders, and this quickly makes it evident that the song and music video are directed to residents of the city. The notable aspect of these shots is that they are taken from the ground, looking up at the tall buildings while also moving forward on the streets below; the exact same view a native of the region would have of the city’s impressive skyline while he or she is going about their daily business. Thus, not only would the sights resonate with residents but also the vantage point that they are presented in gives the video a definitively local perspective (This seems like very convincing evidence and analysis if we are arguing that the video tries to establish a sense of local authenticity). As the video progresses, it delves into Wiz Khalifa’s personal connection to the city without losing recognition from a native audience. It cuts to a street sign, the intersection of Chatsworth Avenue and Berwick Street, highlighting where Wiz Khalifa grew up. To an outsider, this shot seems to be included merely as a reference to the artist’s roots. However, a Pittsburgh native would already know what the video later depicts: residents of this area of the city are fairly low income. Even locals who have not been to specific parts of their town have a general knowledge of the socioeconomic status and lifestyle of people in those areas, and Pittsburgh is no exception. The following shot is Wiz Khalifa eating breakfast from a paper plate in, presumably, the home of a family member or hometown friend. The immediate recognition that the street sign triggers in a Pittsburgh resident furthers the authenticity of the local perspective provided by the video. It is very obvious from the first scene of the music video that “Black and Yellow” aims to provide a local perspective (And a perspective that attends to the experiences of socioeconomically marginalized people) of Pittsburgh and the visuals play a great role in its success at doing so.

Besides the visuals in the music video, Wiz Khalifa also appears to cover the breadth of human experience that both Powell and Eggener value (Very clearly stated) for critical regionalism in “Black and Yellow”. While typical music videos show the artist singing or rapping, alone, in various settings, the video for “Black and Yellow” features Wiz Khalifa interacting with locals on the street, all of them singing along to his song and caught up in their shared passion for the city. The first line of the chorus, “Repping my town, when you see me you know everything” exemplifies this quintessential Pittsburgh pride. The entire crowd is decked out in gear from various Pittsburgh teams and nearly everyone, including Wiz Khalifa himself, is waving a gold, Steelers rally towel called the Terrible Towel. Most notably, the crowd in the video is comprised of locals who just flocked to the video shoot, rather than actors, so their spirit is undoubtedly authentic (Seems authentic?). The noteworthy critical regionalist aspect of this scene is the diversity represented by the crowd. Some qualities of the heterogeneous crowd include multiple races, people across a broad age range, and individuals spanning the socioeconomic scale. The fact that Wiz Khalifa not only includes multiple local perspectives but also interacts with the crowd further emphasizes the critical regionalist aspects of the song. “Black and Yellow” seems to represent diverse voices and experiences in the region and unifies them through everyone’s pride in their city (Very well explained!).

However, there is a gap between the lyrics of “Black and Yellow” and the aforementioned features of the music video, which may suggest that the song is not about local perspectives at all (Very powerful transition. Well executed!). Aside from the repeated chorus of “black and yellow,” very little about the lyrics references Pittsburgh at all. Instead, the song seems to be inspired by Wiz Khalifa’s impressive car, and he goes on to describe it in the first verse, singing, “Hit the pedal once make the floor shake, Suede inside, my engine roaring, It’s the big boy, you know what I paid for it.” Other repeated topics include his “diamonds,” “hoes,” and “Cliquot,” none of which are relatable for the majority of Pittsburgh natives. While it is easy to get wrapped up in the inspiring, regional visuals, the lyrics themselves, arguably the principal part of a song, don’t seem to be very concerned with representing the region at all. Furthermore, they are Wiz Khalifa-centric and thus not relatable to other people in the area. This gap between lyrics and visuals is notable evidence “Black and Yellow” is not actually critical regionalist.

With these qualities of the music video in mind, Powell’s conception of social invention is crucial to evaluating the effectiveness of “Black and Yellow” as an example of critical regionalism (OK. An effective transition, I think). Besides representing the diversity of a region, Powell also believes that a critical regionalist document must also allow for and promote positive social change in the area. Powell uses the term “social invention” to refer to this criterion. He defines social invention as a middle ground: “more deliberate than a passive social construction, but less instrumental than direct forms of social action” (Powell 8). The essential component to social invention is evidence of a critical process that allows for a back and forth among people (Very well summarized). In his essay “Connecting Politics and Culture in the American Landscape,” Powell provides multiple examples of positive social change stemming from a region connecting to its culture. By bringing the term “social invention” into the discussion of regions, it allows for what was before a mere common space to become a web of multifaceted, interdisciplinary connections (OK. So why might that be good?). Social invention’s relationship with “Black and Yellow” begs an important question: does the representation of Pittsburgh in the song and music video allow the document to function as a social invention? This final, determining aspect is crucial to classifying a document as critical regionalist or not.

Wiz Khalifa’s depiction of himself representative of both the rich and low income perspective of Pittsburgh in “Black and Yellow” diminishes the impacts of other, potentially more authentic, voices and accounts of the region and thus limits the song’s ability act as a social invention (OK. Very clear!).  The music video falls into the trap that Powell’s interpretation of critical regionalism avoids; by getting caught up in the spirit of the city, there is no substance that can be gleaned from the video which could promote any sort of social change. Everything about the city is presented in a positive light, from the business sector to the notable bridges to the old smokestacks of the steel mills. All of the people are brimming with pride for the area; this is evident through the seas of black and gold jerseys representing various Pittsburgh sports teams. The city has diversity in terms of race, socioeconomic status, experiences, among other factors, and while it is commendable and powerful that the different residents of the area can unite and celebrate their region, it also masks their individual relationships and struggles living in Pittsburgh (Alright; that’s quite clear, I think- I also think I’m getting an answer to the question I raised in the introduction about why this is an important question). Finally, and most importantly, (Should this be a new paragraph?) Wiz Khalifa seems to promote that his experience with the city transcends all of the perceived boundaries among locals. Although he is a successful rapper, he has not forgotten his roots and can assimilate with the culture. This makes the video fall afoul of a criticism of critical regionalism that Keith Eggener brings up in his essay: “[When] one image of a nation’s culture prevails, others have been submerged or suppressed” (231-232). Thus, Wiz Khalifa’s reentering his old town and portraying the culture within his own experience and relationships actually suppresses, rather than supports, multiple perspectives (Very nicely done). While “Black and Yellow” is Wiz Khalifa’s song and music video, his attempt to represent the population of Pittsburgh through his relationship with the city makes for an incomplete analysis. Furthermore, combining this lacking representation with Powell’s social invention, it becomes even more difficult to make effective and equitable social change when one person’s relationship with the region is seen as foremost because other’s opinions are weighted less. There is even potential for harm because this portrayal may silence the struggles of the people who actually live in low income areas in Pittsburgh and undermine their attempts to get help they need. Overall, Wiz Khalifa’s status and the portrayal of his experiences in Pittsburgh prevent “Black and Yellow” from being a representation of critical regionalism.

In conclusion, although the music video initially seems to cover the diversity of human experiences in Pittsburgh, “Black and Yellow” is a critical regionalist document because it only presents one person’s perception of the city. Wiz Khalifa’s music video, although it features people from different races and obviously different socioeconomic backgrounds, is quite homogeneous in that it only depicts one lifestyle of the region. Although the obvious spirit and unity displayed in the video is admirable, it only shows one aspect of being a resident of the region and thus leaves no room for discussion or, more importantly, disagreement. While the visuals in the music video cover a lot of the diversity aspects addressed above, the lyrics of the song pertain to only Wiz Khalifa’s lifestyle. This greatly diminishes the video’s usefulness as a “social invention” and this simplification actually damages the identity of the region as its complexities are overshadowed by one representation. Thus “Black and Yellow” is not a valid critical lens of Pittsburgh culture. (It’s conventional in most writing contexts to end with a broader significance rather than with the more limited thesis of a project. This allows your readers to leave thinking about what they don’t yet know or what else they might do with what they’ve learned. Here, you use the last sentence to re-iterate the thesis, but I think the foregoing material that raises bigger questions and opens up avenues for further thinking would make for a better concluding move.)

Works Cited

Eggener, Keith L. “Placing Resistance: A Critique of Critical Regionalism”. Journal of            Architectural Education (1984-) 55.4 (2002): 228–237. Web.

Powell, Douglas Reichert. “Introduction.” Critical Regionalism: Connecting Politics and Culture in     the American Landscape. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 2007. 1-31. Print.

Wiz Khalifa. “‪Wiz Khalifa – Black And Yellow [Official Music Video].” Online video clip.   YouTube. YouTube, 11 Oct 2010. Web. 11 Jan 2016.