Flexxing with Leftside
CRAIG ‘Leftside’ Parks has been in the music industry for all his life.Born into a musical family, his father Lloyd Parks (of We The People Band fame) has ‘paid his dues’ and is a stalwart in Jamaica’s musical history — Leftside tells teenAGE much about his life when we Press Record.
Playing for acts such as the Manhattans, Main Ingredient, Freddy Jackson and many of the great Jamaican musicians with his father’s band, Leftside told teenAGE that he could not have escaped doing music.
For the past 10 years, though, Leftside has moved from disc jockey to an artiste, producer and label manager.
His years as a DJ with Syndicate Disco — before branching out with Matthew ‘Esco’ Thompson — he said contributed a lot to his career as an artiste.
“As a DJ you know and understand a lot about what people move to in the dance. You understand the formulas to the music,” he told Flexxing With.
These are the formulas he says he used to create ‘world music’ — music for the world, not just for dancehall.
Leftside also feels that comedy is a big part of his music, which led us to ask him about his new single Gorilla Foot (Tuck Een Yuh Foot).
“The direct inspiration for this song was Lt Stitchie’s Wear Yuh Size. You know comedy was once a big part of the dancehall, then all of sudden it became so serious… very same. Every doing a bad man, or party song. I want to bring back.”
— MED