Too $hort

Too $hort stood out as an early trailblazer among West Coast rap figures, having already issued three independent albums before stepping onto a major label with the RIAA gold-certified Born to Mack in 1988. He concentrated his lyrics on graphic accounts of sexual exploits and street existence, inserting the occasional socially conscious cut for variety, which placed him ahead of much of the gangsta wave that followed. Perhaps the sole rapper to share sessions with 2Pac, the Notorious B.I.G., and Jay-Z—all major artists who drew from his example—he kept shaping the genre through his profane rhymes and lean productions, sustaining an enduring stature in hip-hop with later works such as the 2020 E-40 collaboration Ain't Gone Do It/Terms and Conditions.

Todd Shaw entered the world on April 28, 1966, and spent his early years in South Central Los Angeles. After his family settled in Oakland during the first years of the ’80s, he started peddling tapes directly from his car. A deal with the regional 75 Girls label brought his first official album, Don't Stop Rappin', in 1985. Two more releases arrived within the next couple of years, after which he launched his own Dangerous Music imprint alongside Freddy B. Born to Mack surfaced in 1987 and moved over 50,000 copies through local channels alone. New York’s Jive Records caught wind of the growing regional interest and reissued the album the following year. With almost no radio support, Born to Mack still reached gold, and its successor, Life Is...Too Short, attained platinum status by 1989.

Extensive grassroots appeal and wider distribution opened doors to broadcast play. “The Ghetto,” from 1990’s $hort Dog’s in the House, peaked at number 12 on the Billboard R&B/hip-hop chart and spent a short stretch just outside the Hot 100’s Top 40. The streak held with the platinum albums Shorty the Pimp in 1992 and Get in Where You Fit In in 1993. By the time Cocktails arrived in 1995, however, Too $hort faced heavier competition from a wave of similar West Coast acts; although Gettin' It (Album Number Ten) became his sixth platinum release, he announced retirement in late 1996. He resurfaced three years later with Can't Stay Away, which entered the Top Ten and earned gold certification. Committed for the long run, he delivered four albums over the next four years, then scored one of his strongest singles in 2006 with the Lil Jon-produced title track from Blow the Whistle. After Get Off the Stage appeared in 2007, Too $hort returned to independence. During the 2010s he issued Still Blowin', No Trespassing, the guest-filled Hella Disrespectful: Bay Area Mixtape, The Sex Tape Playlist, and The Pimp Tape on his Dangerous Music label. He closed the decade with his 21st studio album, The Vault, in 2019. The next year he rejoined fellow Bay Area veteran E-40 for the collaborative mixtape Ain't Gone Do It/Terms and Conditions, which also featured Larry June, Freddie Gibbs, G-Eazy, Guapdad 4000, and others.