"Left & Right" is a song by American soul musician D'Angelo featuring American rappers Method Man & Redman. It was released on October 19, 1999, by Virgin Records, as the lead single from the singer's second studio album Voodoo (2000). 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.
Background
A 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
12" maxi single| Title | Writer(s) |
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| 1. | "Left & Right" (Radio Edit) | | |
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| 2. | "Left & Right" (Explicit Edit) | | |
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| 3. | "Left & Right" (Instrumental) | | |
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| 4. | "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" | | |
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| 5. | "Left & Right" (Album Version) | | |
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| 6. | "Left & Right" (A Cappella) | | |
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CD single| Title | Writer(s) |
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| 1. | "Left & Right" (Radio Edit) | | |
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| 2. | "Left & Right" (W/o Rap Version) | | |
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| 3. | "Left & Right" (Explicit Version) | | |
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| 4. | "Devil's Pie" | Archer | |
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Personnel
- 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
Release history
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Going For Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1321. October 15, 1999. pp. 139, 146. Retrieved November 2, 2025 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 15 November, 1999" (PDF). Music Week. November 13, 1999. p. 27. Retrieved November 2, 2025 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Left & Right" (in Japanese). Toshiba EMI. December 24, 1999. Retrieved November 2, 2025 – via Oricon.
External links
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