Too $hort is a 58 year old MC, songwriter, producer & record executive from Oakland, California known for being a west coast pioneer within the last 4 decades. Born to Mack, Life is…Too $hort, $hort Dog’s in the House, Get In Where You Fit In & Gettin’ It (Album #10) all stick out in his extensive catalog. This fall will mark 8 years since The Pimp Tape & he’s finally returning with the 21st full-length studio LP he’s actually been teasing since roughly 2022 or so only 2 & a half years after Mount Westmore’s debut Snoop, Cube, 40, $hort.
“Still Mackin’” samples the “Dope Fiend Beat” off Born to Mack to talk about his longevity in the rap game whereas the uncanny trap-flavored title track discusses always winning in the end & all the bitches knowin’ his name. “You Don’t Know” dabbles with Mobb music thanks to Ant Banks talking about these hoes not having an idea as to what’s going on while “Pick a Side” featuring WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg wants to know exactly who their partners are playing for.
BossLife Big Spence & Larry June join $hort Dog on “Pimpin’ Like Kenny Red” for a turnt-up hyphy track likening themselves to pimps leading into “Go Bitch” featuring Big Zeke, Jay Chess & Kokane serving as a g-funk club banger for the bitches out there who be doing the most. “No Feelings” featuring Bandaide & Mistah F.A.B. brings the trio together so they can live & die by the code, but then the acoustic trap hybrid “Keep It Going” featuring King George encourages everyone to continue moving.
“The Budget” pulls a bit from rap rock to spend a few bucks while “Sucka Shit” essentially calls out the people who be on their bullshit. “Got It from the Bay” represents the northern side of California that made him while “Brain Surgery” talks about people having to know how to do it to make it. And prior to the Check the Stats” outro, the self-produced “Everywhere” takes the Mobb route for the final time reflecting on the places his career has taken him.
Drawing heavily on his Bay Area roots & long-standing partnerships, the 1st installment in a new trilogy is more of a a deliberate look back as much as a statement of staying power Too $hort has ultimately bridging the classic template with new wrinkles & familiar faces. The funk-heavy, bass-driven production marks a return to the smoothness that anchored many of $hort’s most influential releases during the golden age & joins the ever-growing list of hip hop pioneers adapting decades later.
Score: 8/10
