"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 (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

My Krazy Life ''My Krazy Life'' is the debut studio album by American 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, Drake, Lil W ...

'' (2014). The song was produced by and features vocals from frequent collaborator DJ Mustard. 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. He is credited, alongside fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music fo ...

'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 was constructed by YG's frequent collaborator DJ Mustard. 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 m ...

s. Jordan Sowunmi of '' 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, hip hop music criticism and news. ''HipHopDX'' has over 3.5M monthly readers, the website encompassing hip hop news, interviews, music, and reviews. The website's founder and CEO is Sharath C ...

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. History ''Consequence of Sound'' was founded in Septem ...

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 Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles is an American soul food restaurant chain that operates seven locations in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was founded by Herb Hudson in 1975. The ''Los Angeles Times'' has referred to Roscoe's as "su ...

located on 5006 W Pico Blvd in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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 located in the Gateway Cities region of 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 ci ...

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

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

's "

Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is a song by American rapper Dr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Dogg, Snoop Doggy Dogg, on Dre's debut solo album, ''The Chronic'' (1992). Released in January 1993 by Death Row Records, Death Row, Interscope ...

" and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

's "

Gin and Juice "Gin and Juice" is a song by American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. It was released on January 18, 1994 by Death Row, Interscope and Atlantic, as the second single from his debut album, ''Doggystyle'' (1993). The song was produced by Dr. Dre and con ...

". 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?)" music video." The video includes women

twerking Twerking (; possibly from 'to work') is a type of African-American dance, dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving Pelvic thrusting, throwing or thrusting the hips back or shaking the buttocks, often in a Partial squat, ...

throughout and at one point an implied

dog fight A dogfight, or dog fight, is an aerial battle between fighter aircraft that is conducted at close range. Modern terminology for air-to-air combat is air combat manoeuvring (ACM), which refers to tactical situations requiring the use of individ ...

. Cameo appearances in the video come from rappers

Nipsey Hussle Ermias Joseph Asghedom (born Airmiess Joseph Asghedom; August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle, was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip-hop scene in the mid-20 ...

and

Dom Kennedy Dominic Ross Hunn (born August 22, 1984), better known by his stage name Dom Kennedy, is an American rapper. His fourth mixtape, ''From the Westside with Love'' (2010), was met with critical acclaim; its sequel, '' From the Westside with Love II' ...

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)