"Left, Right" is a song by American rapper YG, released on December 10, 2013 as the second single from his debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

My Krazy Life ''My Krazy Life'' is the debut studio album by American rapper YG (rapper), YG. It was released on March 18, 2014, through CTE World and Pushaz Ink, and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, ...

'' (2014). The song was produced by and features vocals from frequent collaborator

DJ Mustard Dijon Isaiah McFarlane (born June 5, 1990), known professionally as Mustard (also known as DJ Mustard), is an American record producer and beatmaker. He is a frequent collaborator of fellow California-bred artists YG and Ty Dolla Sign; among var ...

. It received positive reviews from critics. "Left, Right" peaked at number 44 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. A music video for the single, directed by Alex Nazari and YG, features a house party in Compton that's filled with cameos from Los Angeles rappers.

Background

"Left, Right" was premiered on November 28, 2013 via

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 ...

's ''#ItsThaWorld2'' mixtape. It was official released for digital download on December 10, 2013 as the second single from his debut studio album ''

''. The song's

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

was constructed by YG's frequent collaborator

. It is based around a minimalistic three-note theme which doubles down with a fiddle midway through each verse.

Critical reception

"Left, Right" was met with generally positive reviews from

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

s. Jordan Sowunmi of ''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'' called it a "hedonistic jam sprinkled with distinctive California cultural markers." Dorian Mendoza of PrettyMuchAmazing said the song "can make every club in the nation shake." Jesse Fairfax of

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

said the song is "sure to please his flesh chasing peer group entering early adulthood." Jesal 'Jay Soul' Padania of RapReviews compared the song's sound to executive producer

's debut album '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101''. Michael Madden of

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

stated that the song was very sex related, but engaging nonetheless.

Music video

The majority of the music video for "Left, Right" was filmed on December 23, 2013 around Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles located on 5006 W Pico Blvd in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and was directed by Alex Nazari and YG. A week later a teaser for the music video was released. Then on January 29, 2014, the music video was released for the song. In the video YG and DJ Mustard throw a block party in

Compton, California Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and, on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city in Los Angeles County to incorporat ...

. It is reminiscent of the Compton party scenes seen in the classic hip hop videos

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

's "

Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is a song by American rapper Dr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, on Dre's debut solo album, ''The Chronic'' (1992). The album's first single, "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," reaching number 2 on the ' ...

" and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

's "

Gin and Juice "Gin and Juice" is a song by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on January 18, 1994, as the second single from his debut album, ''Doggystyle''. Lyrics The lyrics depict a party filled with sex, marijuana, and alcohol continuing i ...

". YG spends most of the video standing on the roof of Roscoe's similar to how Snoop did when he burst on to the scene with the "

Who Am I? (What's My Name?) "Who Am I? (What's My Name?)" (commonly titled "What's My Name?") is the debut single by American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. It was released on November 11, 1993, as the first single from his debut album, ''Doggystyle'', with the record labels De ...

" music video." The video includes women

twerking Twerking (; possibly from 'to work') is a type of dance that came out of the bounce music scene of New Orleans in the late 1980s. Individually performed chiefly but not exclusively by women, performers dance to popular music in a sexually provo ...

throughout and at one point an implied

dog fight A dogfight, or dog fight, is an air combat manoeuvring, aerial battle between fighter aircraft conducted at close range. Dogfighting first occurred in Mexico in 1913, shortly after the invention of the airplane. Until at least 1992, it was a ...

. Cameo appearances in the video come from rappers

Nipsey Hussle Airmiess Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid- ...

and

Dom Kennedy Dominic Ross Hunn (born August 22, 1984), better known by his stage name Dom Kennedy, is an American rapper from Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California. Since 2008, Kennedy has released 5 independent mixtapes, most notably his 2010 critically accl ...

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2013 singles 2013 songs YG (rapper) songs Def Jam Recordings singles Song recordings produced by Mustard (record producer) Songs written by Mustard (record producer) Songs written by YG (rapper)