Influence Profile
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Story
Quick Facts
Born
1966
1966
From
United States of America
United States of America
Journey
Todd Anthony Shaw began his music career in Oakland long before record companies, platinum albums, and national recognition entered the picture. In the early 1980s, he and his friend Freddy B. were making homemade rap tapes and taking them directly to people around the city. That independent hustle became the first chapter of a career that would eventually stretch across more than four decades and make Shaw, under the name Too $hort, one of the defining voices of Bay Area hip-hop.
Born in Los Angeles, California, Shaw spent much of his youth in Oakland after his family moved there. The city's culture became central to his artistic development. While hip-hop was still establishing itself on the West Coast, he began experimenting with rap and recording music outside the traditional music-business system.
His earliest releases reflected that independent approach. In 1985, he issued "Don't Stop Rappin'" through the independent 75 Girls label. More recordings followed as he continued developing his voice and business operation with Freddy B.
The breakthrough came in 1987 with "Born to Mack." The album first gained attention through local sales before reaching a national audience after Jive Records became involved. What began as an Oakland operation was turning into a national rap career.
"Life Is...Too $hort" pushed that success even further. Released in the late 1980s, the album became his biggest-selling project and established him as a major figure in American hip-hop. "Freaky Tales" became one of the recordings most closely associated with his early identity, reflecting the explicit storytelling, humor, sexuality, and street-centered themes that characterized much of his work.
The 1990s brought a remarkable run of successful albums. "Shorty the Pimp," "Get in Where You Fit In," "Cocktails," and "Gettin' It (Album Number Ten)" strengthened his position within West Coast rap.
In 1996, Shaw announced his retirement, but his absence from music was brief. He returned in 1999 with "Can't Stay Away," proving that his audience had remained intact. During the following decade, he continued releasing albums including "You Nasty," "Chase the Cat," and "What's My Favorite Word?.”
Collaboration has remained another important part of Shaw's story. His career has intersected with artists including 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, E-40, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Lil Jon, Kelis, Devin the Dude, Pimp C, and Master P. Working across generations allowed his influence to extend beyond the period in which he first became successful.
His connection with the Bay Area became even more visible through Mt. Westmore, a group formed with Snoop Dogg, E-40, and Ice Cube. Their collaboration brought together four major figures whose careers helped define different chapters of West Coast rap. The group released "Snoop Cube 40 $hort" in 2022.
Too $hort continued recording through the 2010s and into the 2020s, releasing projects such as "The Pimp Tape" and "The Vault" while participating in new collaborations. In 2025, he released "Sir Too $hort, Vol. 1 (Freaky Tales)."
From homemade cassettes sold around Oakland to platinum albums, major collaborations, a West Coast supergroup, and new music decades after his first recordings, Todd Anthony Shaw's career has followed an unusually long arc. His story is one of independence, regional identity, reinvention, and persistence, making Too $hort an enduring figure in the history of American hip-hop.