Too Short facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Too Short
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Too Short performing in August 2023
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Todd Anthony Shaw |
| Also known as | Short Dogg |
| Born | April 28, 1966 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Origin | Oakland, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1983–present |
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Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), known as Too Short (sometimes written as Too $hort), is an American rapper. He was one of the first artists to become famous in the West Coast hip hop music style during the late 1980s. He is also one of the few artists who worked with both Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. when they were very popular.
Too Short started recording music in 1983. He became well-known in his hometown of Oakland with three independent music projects. His fourth album, Born to Mack (1987), sold about 50,000 copies, which he sold himself from his car. This led to the album being officially released by Jive Records a year later.
His fifth album, Life Is... Too Short (1988), sold over two million copies. This made it his first album to appear on the Billboard 200 music chart. His sixth album, Short Dog's In The House (1990), reached number 20 on the chart. It also featured the song "The Ghetto," which was his highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 as the main artist. His later albums, like Get in Where You Fit In (1993), Cocktails (1995), and Gettin' It (Album Number Ten) (1996), all reached the top ten on the Billboard 200 and sold over one million copies each.
In 1988, he started a music group called the Dangerous Crew with other rappers and producers from Oakland. In 2020, he formed another West Coast hip hop group called Mount Westmore with famous artists Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and E-40. In 2006, he also started his own record label, Up All Nite Records. Through this label, he signed the hyphy music group the Pack, which included the rapper Lil B before he became famous.
Contents
Early Life and Moving to Oakland
Todd Anthony Shaw was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California. In the early 1980s, he and his family moved to Oakland, California. When he was in high school, he played the drums in the band at Fremont High School in Oakland.
Starting a Music Career
In the mid-1980s, Too Short and his high school friend Freddy B started making custom songs for people in Oakland. They recorded these songs on cassette tapes. In 1985, Too Short began his solo career. He released his first album, Don't Stop Rappin', on a local record label. This album and his first singles used simple drum beats made with a LinnDrum drum machine.
In the early 1990s, Too Short mostly used a TR-808 drum machine for his self-produced beats. Later, in the 2000s, he used a TR-909. In 1985, Too Short and Freddy B started their own label, Dangerous Music, to sell his music in the area. They also formed the rap group the Dangerous Crew. Dangerous Music later became Short Records, and then Up All Nite Records. With his 1988 album, Life Is... Too Short, he started using new versions of old funk music parts instead of just samples.
Working with Other Artists
Too Short often worked with other famous artists. He collaborated with Tupac Shakur, the Notorious B.I.G., and Scarface. One important collaboration was on the song "The World Is Filled..." from the Notorious B.I.G.'s album Life After Death. Being on this album helped Too Short reach more listeners. His unique style was different from the album's main theme, which made him stand out.
He also appeared on the hit song "Player's Holiday" by TWDY in 1999. After these appearances, he started working on his eleventh album, Can't Stay Away. This album featured many guest artists like 8Ball & MJG, Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Sean Combs, E-40, Daz Dillinger, Lil Jon, Soopafly, Scarface, and B-Legit.
Music in the 2000s
Too Short moved to Atlanta in 1994. However, he started working with more Southern artists around 2000, when he collaborated with Lil Jon. With the release of Can't Stay Away in 1999, Too Short returned to making music, keeping his relaxed rap style.
From 2000 to 2003, he released new albums: You Nasty (2000), Chase the Cat (2001), What's My Favorite Word? (2002), and Married to the Game (2003). These albums did fairly well on the Billboard 200 chart, but they did not reach the top 10 like his earlier albums from the 1990s.
For his next album, Blow the Whistle (2006), Too Short used the new hyphy rap music style that was popular in Oakland. This album helped Too Short become more popular again, reaching number 14 on the Billboard 200. However, his albums after that, like Get Off the Stage (2007), were not as successful. On October 7, 2008, Too Short was honored by VH1 at the "Hip-Hop Honors" event.
In 2009, Too Short recorded songs with Daz Dillinger, Lil Jon, Soopafly, Scarface, and B-Legit. In 2011, he was featured on Wiz Khalifa's song "On My Level". He also worked on Snoop Dogg's 2011 album, Doggumentary, on the song "Take U Home," and on the 50 Cent song "First Date". In 2012, Too Short and E-40 released two albums together on the same day: History: Mob Music and History: Function Music. Both albums appeared on the top 100 of the Billboard 200 albums chart.
In 2015, Too Short was featured on the song "Oakland Brookfield Dance" by actor Tavion Tate Guice. In 2016, he was featured on the song "Cochino" by Argentine-American rapper Dumbfoundead.
Six years after his last album, Too Short released his 20th album on November 9, 2018. On December 20, 2019, he released his 21st album, The Vault. On December 18, 2020, Too Short and E-40 released their collaboration album Ain't Gone Do It and Terms & Conditions.
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In 2022, the City of Oakland honored Too Short with a special street sign. A part of Foothill Boulevard was named "Too $hort Way." They also announced that December 10, 2022, would be "Too $hort Day."
Up All Nite Records
In the mid-2000s, Too Short started his Dangerous Music label again, renaming it Up All Nite Records. This label was part of Jive Records. He signed other artists from California, including the hip hop group the Pack. In 2017, he also helped start a "digital" record label called OG Records with Vinny Az. This label also helps local artists share their music.
Personal Life
In September 2019, Too Short and his partner Sue Ivy announced that they had a daughter.
Since 2006, Too Short has been a mentor at Youth UpRising. This is a non-profit organization in Oakland that helps young people who are at risk.
Film and TV Appearances
Too Short played the character Lew-Loc in the movie Menace II Society. He also appeared in an episode of the TV show The Game. Too Short was in a VH1 documentary called "Planet Rock." He also had a small role in the movie Stop Pepper Palmer with Scott Schwartz.
Too Short also released two movies that went straight to DVD. These were Too Short Uncensored (2001) and Too Short: Titty City (2003).
In 2009, Too Short was featured in an episode of the E! show Kendra, which starred Kendra Wilkinson.
Images for kids
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Too Short in 2008
