Leftside Hopes teggae reggae will be the new Jamaican craze

Craig 'Leftside' Parks, the brain behind Keep Left Records is about to unleash another of his grand ideas. He is aiming to introduce a new genre to Jamaica's music industry and, in time to the world.

He calls it 'teggae reggae' and its sound can be heard on the track Jump Up Around, which is a collaboration between Leftside and Shaggy.

Speaking with THE STAR, he said: "It was originally a track I did myself and I made him (Shaggy) listen to it to get some feedback. Him listen to it and love it until him all ask weh my verse deh," laughed Leftside.

The track has not been officially released to the public as yet. Only those doing promotional work to get the new sound out have it.

Leftside says he plans to work closely with artistes such as Pretti Looks, Gina Savage, Syon (all from his Keep Left Records label), Sean Paul, T.O.K. and anyone who will appreciate the new sound.

He sees the genre taking off in 2011 as he has big plans for it.

"A just crazy music rite now, innuh, this is the year of movement and teggae reggae is going to be one of those movers this year. There's going to be a lot of buzz surrounding it," he said.

"The end result will definitely be that there will be an increased demand for Jamaican music," added Leftside.

savage surprise

The newest addition to the Keep Left Records family Miss Jamaica World 2001, Regina 'Gina Savage' Beavers, may also come as a surprise to most persons.

She recently collaborated with Leftside on Coffee In My Cup, a song which cleverly hides the sexual meaning behind its lyrics.

"It's something that she always wanted to do. She reached out to mi and I listened to a few of her demos and stuff. The thing is, she is somebody mi know fi years and it came as a surprise to me that she has the talent," said Leftside.

He continued: "She's very talented and easy to work with and she knows her notes. Trust mi, she knows music, all that is needed is a good production team and that's what we're providing."

Success continues to come in favour of Keep Left Records as Leftside and Mystic Davis' Want Your Body Remix video hit the number-one spot on the Caribbean Charts last week.


The artistes of Keep Left Records, (from left) Gina Savage, Leftside, Pretti Looks and Syon. - Contributed