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Born Todd Shaw on April 28, 1966, $hort grew up in LA's South Central; soon after his family moved to Oakland in the early '80s, he began selling tapes out of the back of his car. Signed to the local label 75 Girls, he released his first proper album in 1983, Don't Stop Rappin'. Three albums followed in the next two years, after which Too $hort formed his own Dangerous Music label with friend Freddy B. He recorded Born to Mack in 1986, and sold more than 50,000 copies just by riding around the region. New York's Jive Records picked up on the buzz from across the country, and provided a national deal for the album one year later. With virtually no radio airplay, Born to Mack went gold and its follow-up, Life Is...Too $hort, achieved platinum sales by 1989.
The immense success of Too $hort during 1988-1989 made him much more viable for radio airplay, and "The Ghetto" — from 1990's Short Dog's In The House — made number 12 on the R&B charts, even enjoying a brief stay just outside the pop Top 40. He continued his hit track record with 1992's Shorty the Pimp and 1993's Get in Where You Fit In, both of which went platinum. By the time of 1995's Cocktails, however, Too $hort began to be drowned out by a glut of similar-sounding West Coasters, and though Gettin' It (Album Number Ten) became his fifth platinum album, by late 1996, he decided to retire. Just three years later, he returned with the aptly titled Can't Stay Away, which debuted in the Top Ten and went gold. You Nasty followed in the fall of 2000. — John Bush
Official Site: Too $hort World
Todd Shaw (Born April 28, 1966 in Los Angeles, CA)
Too $hort - Short Dog's In The House
Too $hort - Greatest Hits Vol. 1: The Player Years 1983-1988
Too $hort - Cocktails
Too $hort - Gettin' It (Album Number Ten)
Too $hort - Can't Stay Away
Too $hort - You Nasty
Too $hort - Chase The Cat
Too $hort - What's My Favorite Word?
Too $hort - Married To The Game
Too $hort - Pimpin' Incorporated
Too $hort - Blow The Whistle
Avant - Ecstasy
Ant Banks - Big Thangs
The Bay's Best
Best Of The Bay Ever
Big Lurch - It's All Bad
B-Legit - Hard 2 B-Legit
Booty Call
Bosko - E-40 Presents Super Producer Bosko: That Fire
Boyz 'N The Hood
Breaking Out: The Alcatraz Concert
C-Bo - Enemy Of The State
Butch Cassidy - High
Cellblock Compilation II: Face Off
Celly Cel Presents The Wild West
The Corruptor
The Dangerous Crew - Don't Try This At Home
Daz Dillinger - Retaliation, Revenge, And Get Back
Daz Dillinger - Who Ride Wit' Us: Tha Compalation Vol. 1
Daz Dillinger - This Is The Life I Lead
Death Row Uncut (DVD)
The Delinquents - Bosses Will Be Bosses
Disturbing Tha Peace - Golden Grain
DJ Age Presents The New West Order
DJ Smallz & T-Pain - Dirty RNB 11: Are You Sprung?
D.P.G.C. - The Remix Album
Tha Dogg Pound - Dogg Chit
D-Shot Presents Boss Ballin' 2: The Mob Bosses
Jermaine Dupri - Life In 1472
Jermaine Dupri - Instructions
Eightball - Lost
E-40 - Tha Hall Of Game
E-40 - The Element Of Surprise
E-40 T.K.A Charlie Hu$tle - The Blueprint Of A $elf-Made Millionare
E-40 - Loyalty And Betrayal
E-40 - The Best Of Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
E-40 - My Ghetto Report Card
Gang Tapes
Gangsta - Penitentiary Chances
Goldie Loc - B.G. 2 O.G.
Gorilla Pimpin'
Anthony Hamilton - Nobody Else (Single)
Dave Hollister - Ghetto Hymnz
How To Be A Player
Ice Cube - Cali Untouchable Radio 11
In Tha Beginning...There Was Rap: Tha Originals
In Tha Beginning...There Was Rap
Jay-Z - In My Lifetime Vol. 1
Jay-Z - Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life
Keak Da Sneak - Deified
King T - Thy Kingdom Come
Knoc-Turn'Al - Knoc's Landin'
Knoc-Turn'Al - L.A. Confidential Presents: Knoc-Turn'Al
Kokane - They Call Me Mr. Kane
Kokane - Don't Bite The Funk Vol. 1
Kurupt - Against The Grain (Official Bootleg)
Luniz - Lunitik Muzik
M.V.P.z
Mac Minister - Mac Minister Of Defense
Mack 10 - The Paper Route
Major Work
MC Breed - Presents The Thugz Vol. 1
Menace II Society
Messy Marv - Disobayish
Mitchy Slick - Killafornia Handgunner: XXL Guns Vol. 3 Mixtape
Mr. Malik - Best Of Mr.Malik
Music 2 Kill By
New Edition - One Love
Night+Day
The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death
The Notorious B.I.G. - Born Again
The Notorious B.I.G. - Duets: The Lost Chapter
Obstacles
Ol' Dirty Bastard - The Trials & Tribulations Of Russell Jones
Outlawz - Mix Collaboration CD Vol. 1
Pandemonium
Phuck U Symphony II: Fuck Song (Thug Radio Mixtape)
Rappin' 4-Tay - Off Parole
Rappin' 4-Tay - Gangsta Gumbo
The Relativez - Money Respect Money
Richie Rich - Nixon Pryor Roundtree
Rush Hour
Scarface - The Untouchable
Scarface - My Homies
Scarface - Last Of A Dying Breed
Scarface - Greatest Hits
Erick Sermon - Def Squad Presents Erick Onasis
Shaft 2000
Snoop Doggy Dogg - Tha Doggfather
Snoop Dogg - Tha Blue Carpet Treatment Mixtape
Snoop Dogg - Ego Trippin'
Spice 1 - The Black Bossalini (A.K.A. Dr. Bomb From The Bay)
Spice 1 - Immortalized
Spice 1 - Hits II: Ganked & Gaffled
Spice 1 - Me And My Guns
Keith Sweat - Still In The Game
T.W.D.Y. - Player's Holiday (Single)
T.W.D.Y. - Derty Werk
T.W.D.Y. - Drinks On Me (Single)
T.W.D.Y. - Lead The Way
Thug Radio Mixtape 14: Ridin'
Thug Radio Mixtape 16: Bang On 'Em
2Pac - The Way He Wanted It
Turf Stories
Twista - Kamikaze
Tyrese A.K.A. Black-Ty - Alter Ego
U.G.K. - Underground Kingz
WC - The Shadiest One
Well Connected
Woo
The Wood
Xzibit - Full Circle
Young Bleed - My Own
Yukmouth/Gamblaz - Block Shit
Yukmouth - Lord Of War
Yukmouth - Million Dollar Mouthpiece
Born in Los Angeles, but an Oakland resident by the age of 14, Too $hort was the first West Coast rap star, recording three albums on his own before he made his major-label debut with 1988's gold album Born to Mack; his next four all went platinum. Anticipating much of the later gangsta phenomenon, he restricted his lyrical themes to tales of sexual prowess and physical violence, with the occasional social-message track to mix things up. After the release of Gettin' It (Album Number Ten) in 1996, Too $hort decided to retire, his status assured as one of the most successful solo rappers of the 1980s and early '90s, although that decision would prove short-lived.
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