"Left & Right" is a song by American neo soul musician D'Angelo featuring fellow American rappers Method Man & Redman. It was released on October 19, 1999 via Virgin Records as the second single from the singer's second studio album Voodoo. Recording sessions took place at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. Written by D'Angelo, Method Man, Redman and Q-Tip, it was produced by D'Angelo himself. An accompanying music video was directed by Malik Hassan Sayeed.
| "Left & Right" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by D'Angelo featuring Method Man & Redman | ||||
| from the album Voodoo | ||||
| Released | October 19, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1999 | |||
| Studio | Electric Lady Studios (New York, NY) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | D'Angelo | |||
| D'Angelo singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio sample | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Left & Right" on YouTube | ||||
Background
editA part of the musical collective Soulquarians, producer J Dilla served as a frequent collaborator of theirs.[1][2] Although album tracks such as "Left & Right" and "Devil's Pie" help to bring this claim to light, Dilla himself was not officially credited for production. However, he contributed significantly to Voodoo's overall sound, specifically the rhythm and percussion.[1] Q-Tip was originally intended to contribute a verse to the song "Left & Right", but was replaced by rappers Method Man & Redman during recording due to creative differences.[3] Questlove has stated that "general opinion was that the song was cool but nobody was feeling Tip's verse".[3] According to former A&R representative Gary Harris, D'Angelo's manager Dominique Trenier "thought that Tip’s verse was wack".[4]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Left & Right" (Radio Edit) | ||
| 2. | "Left & Right" (Explicit Edit) |
| |
| 3. | "Left & Right" (Instrumental) |
| |
| 4. | "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" |
| |
| 5. | "Left & Right" (Album Version) |
| |
| 6. | "Left & Right" (A Cappella) |
|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Left & Right" (Radio Edit) |
| |
| 2. | "Left & Right" (W/o Rap Version) |
| |
| 3. | "Left & Right" (Explicit Version) |
| |
| 4. | "Devil's Pie" | Archer |
Personnel
edit- Michael Eugene "D'Angelo" Archer – songwriter, vocals, producer
- Clifford "Method Man" Smith – songwriter, rap vocals
- Reginald "Redman" Noble – songwriter, rap vocals
- Jonathan "Q-Tip" Davis – songwriter
- Russell Elevado – recording, mixing
Charts
edit| Chart (1999–2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[5] | 39 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 70 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[7] | 18 |
| US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (Billboard)[8] | 44 |
References
edit- ^ a b Touré. Untitled Document: D'Angelo, May 2000. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 2, 2011.
- ^ Columnist. Featured Drummers: Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson. Drummerworld. Retrieved on 2008-08-09.
- ^ a b Thompson, Ahmir 'Questlove'. "Review: Voodoo". ?uestcorner/Okayplayer: 1999. Archived from the original on August 9, 2008.
- ^ Gonzales, Michael A. "D'Angelo: Black Pop Kool-Aid".
- ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "D'Angelo Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "D'Angelo Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "D'Angelo Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
External links
edit- D'Angelo – Left & Right at Discogs (list of releases)