Mr. Evil

Craig "Leftside" Parks, initially recognized by the alias Dr. Evil, created the exuberant dancehall figure Mr. Evil whose vocal style strongly evokes Austin Powers' notorious adversary. Raised in St. Andrews, Jamaica, he is the son of Lloyd Parks, who performed as a member of the We the People band and supported artists ranging from Dennis Brown to Prince Far I. As a child, Craig joined his father's rehearsals by striking rhythms on an inverted empty box, gaining enough studio familiarity to launch a production career in adulthood. During a session at Renaissance Disco, an Austin Powers film airing on the studio monitor prompted him to deliver a Dr. Evil impersonation that amused everyone present. The resulting dubplate, voiced in that character, reached Bounty Killer's birthday party and triggered the progression from custom acetates to commercial releases. In 2005 he recorded the modest success "No STD" on the Ice Cube riddim, then achieved a breakthrough the following year with the intense and comedic smash "More Punanny." Further tracks such as "Social Commentary," "We a Gangsta," and the soca-inflected "Wine It" paved the way to 2008, when the collaboration "Back It Up" with dancehall superstar Sean Paul appeared as a preview of his forthcoming debut album slated for the Sequence label.