Editing Too Short (section)

{{short description|American rapper (born 1966)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Too Short
| image             = Too Short 2023 (cropped)2.jpg
| caption           = Too Short performing in August 2023
| birth_name        = Todd Anthony Shaw
| alias             = Short Dogg
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|1966|4|28}}
| discography       = [[Too Short discography]]
| birth_place       = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| origin            = [[Oakland, California]], U.S.<ref name="starpulse1">{{cite web |url=http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Too_Short/Biography/ |title=Too Short Biography |publisher=Starpulse.com |access-date=November 22, 2011 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042830/http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Too_Short/Biography/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="allmusic1">{{cite web|last=Bush |first=John |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/too-short-p132295/biography |title=Too $hort: Biography |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=November 22, 2011}}</ref>
| genre             = {{flatlist|
* [[West Coast hip-hop]]<ref name="allmusic1" />
* [[gangsta rap]]<ref name="allmusic1" />
* [[dirty rap]]<ref name="allmusic1" />
* [[G-funk]]<ref name="allmusic1" />
}}
| occupations       = {{flatlist|
* Rapper
* songwriter
* record producer
* record executive
}}
| years_active      = 1983–present<ref>{{cite web|author=John Bush|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/too-hort-mn0001052511|title=Too Short|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=October 4, 2019}}</ref>
| label             = {{flatlist|
* [[Empire Distribution|EMPIRE]]
* OG
* [[EMI]]
* [[Jive Records|Jive]]
* [[Thump Records|Thump]]
* [[Priority Records|Priority]]
* [[#Up All Nite Records|Up All Nite]]
}}
| current_member_of = [[Mount Westmore|Mt. Westmore]]
| past_member_of    = [[The Dangerous Crew]]
{{Infobox person
| child = yes
| children = 1
| website             = {{URL|tooshortstore.com}}
{{Infobox
| child=yes
| header          = Logo
| headerstyle     = background:#b0c4de
| data1 = }}
}}
}}

'''Todd Anthony Shaw''' (born April 28, 1966),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0790001/|title=Too $hort|website=IMDb.com}}</ref><ref name="starpulse1" /><ref name="allmusic1" /> better known by his stage name '''Too Short''' (stylized as '''Too $hort'''), is an American rapper. A pioneer of [[West Coast hip-hop]], Shaw was among the first acts to receive recognition in the genre during the late 1980s. His lyrics were often based on [[Procuring (prostitution)|pimping]] and [[promiscuity]], but also drug culture and street survival;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/hip-hop-media-training/too-short-mother-finding-dirty-rap-book-hip-210350674.html|title=Too Short On Mother Finding His Dirty Rap Book And "The Hip Hop Dance Experience" Video Game|date=November 8, 2012|access-date=March 9, 2015}}</ref> exemplified respectively in his most popular singles "[[Blow the Whistle (song)|Blow the Whistle]]" and "[[The Ghetto (Too Short song)|The Ghetto]]." He is one of few acts to have worked with both [[Tupac Shakur]] and [[the Notorious B.I.G.]] during the heights of their respective careers.<ref name="starpulse1" /><ref name="allmusic1" /><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121015022639/http://www.vh1.com/shows/couples_therapy/cast_member.jhtml?personalityId=15722 "Couples Therapy: Cast: Todd "Too Short" Shaw And Monica Payne"]. VH1. Retrieved October 10, 2012.</ref> 

Shaw began recording in 1983, and cultivated a regional following with three independent projects tailored for his native [[Oakland, California|Oakland]]. His fourth album, ''[[Born to Mack]]'' (1987) sold an estimated 50,000 units from Shaw's car trunk,<ref name="CL">{{cite book |last1=Larkin |first1=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=2006 |publisher=MUZE |volume=8 |page=212}}</ref> leading to a commercial re-issue by [[Jive Records]] the following year. His fifth album, ''[[Life Is... Too Short]]'' (1989), received [[RIAA certification#List of certifications|double platinum]] certification by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) and became his first entry on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]. His sixth album, ''[[Short Dog's In The House]]'' (1990), peaked at number 20 on the chart and spawned the single "The Ghetto," which became his first and highest-charting entry on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] as a lead artist. His following four albums—''[[Shorty the Pimp]]'' (1992), ''[[Get in Where You Fit In]]'' (1993), ''[[Cocktails (album)|Cocktails]]'' (1995), and ''[[Gettin' It (Album Number Ten)]]'' (1996)—each peaked within the top ten of the ''Billboard'' 200 and received [[RIAA certification|platinum]] certifications by the RIAA. 

In 1988, he formed the group [[the Dangerous Crew]] with Oakland-based rappers and producers, and in 2020, he formed the West Coast hip hop group [[Mount Westmore]] with frequent collaborators [[Ice Cube]], [[Snoop Dogg]] and [[E-40]]. In 2006, he founded the record label [[#Up All Nite Records|Up All Nite Records]], through which he signed [[hyphy]] group [[The Pack (group)|the Pack]] (which included then-unknown rapper [[Lil B]]).