Editing Too Short (section)

==Career==
In the mid-1980s, Shaw, along with high school friend Freddy B, produced custom songs (called "special requests") locally on cassette for people in Oakland and the Bay Area. In 1985, Too Short started his solo career and released his debut album, ''[[Don't Stop Rappin']]'' on Oakland record label 75 Girls Records And Tapes which, along with four 12" releases, featured raw, simple drum beats from a [[LinnDrum]] [[drum machine]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/51352-Too-Short|title=Too Short|website=Discogs.com}}</ref>  This was also one of the first hip hop recordings to use the word "[[bitch (insult)|bitch]]" – a word which became one of the rapper's trademarks and was the focus of subsequent songs such as "Ain't Nothin' but a Word to Me".

In the early 1990s, his self-produced beats came from mostly a [[TR-808]] and from mid-to-late 2000s, a [[TR-909]] was used. In 1985, Too Short and Freddie B. formed the label Dangerous Music to regionally distribute his music, and with others formed rap group [[the Dangerous Crew]].<ref name="amg">Bush, John. [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p132295|pure_url=yes}} Too Short – Biography]. [[AllMusic]]. Retrieved September 16, 2007.</ref> Dangerous Music became Short Records, and then Up All Nite Records. With his 1989 album, ''[[Life Is... Too Short]]'', he began using replayed established [[funk]] riffs (rather than samples) with his beats.

Subsequent work was primarily collaborative, including work with [[Tupac Shakur]], [[the Notorious B.I.G.]], [[Scarface (rapper)|Scarface]], and [[Pimp C]]. One of his notable collaborations during this period was on the track "The World Is Filled..." on the Notorious B.I.G. album ''[[Life After Death]]''; he comes in on the third verse after Diddy and Biggie. Being featured on the album introduced him to a wider audience as well, due to his typical style contrasting greatly with the Mafioso theme of the album. He also appeared on TWDY's hit single "Player's Holiday" from their 1999 debut album ''[[Derty Werk]]''<ref>[{{AllMusic |class= song|id= t3234194| pure_url=yes}} TWDY – "Player's Holiday"], AllMusic.</ref> as well as the [[Priority Records]] compilation ''Nuthin but a Gangsta Party''.<ref>Wilson, MacKenzie. [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r487431|pure_url=yes}} "Nuthin' but a Gangsta Party" – Overview], AllMusic.</ref> After these appearances, he began working on his eleventh album, ''[[Can't Stay Away]]''.  The album included guest appearances by [[8Ball & MJG]], [[Jay-Z]], [[Jermaine Dupri]], [[Sean Combs]], [[E-40]], [[Daz Dillinger]], [[Lil Jon]], [[Soopafly]], [[Scarface (rapper)|Scarface]] and [[B-Legit]].<ref name="mtv.com">[https://web.archive.org/web/20041027131156/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1427330/19990629/puff_daddy.jhtml Too $hort Adds Puffy Track To Upcoming LP]. [[MTV]]: June 29, 1999.</ref>

Too Short relocated to [[Atlanta]] in 1994, but he did not begin working with a more diverse variety of Southern artists until 2000, when he collaborated with [[Lil Jon]]. With the 1999 release of ''[[Can't Stay Away]]'', Too Short came out of retirement, continuing his sexually explicit, relaxed style of rap.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/cant-stay-away-mw0000602388|title=Can't Stay Away – Too $hort &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> New albums released 2000–2003 were ''[[You Nasty]]'' (2000), ''[[Chase the Cat]]'' (2001), ''[[What's My Favorite Word?]]'' (2002), and ''[[Married to the Game]]'' (2003).  These albums all charted fairly well, as they all were in the top 71 of the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], but they did not do as well as Too Short's earlier 1990s releases, as none of them reached the top 10.<ref name=autogenerated1>[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p132295|pure_url=yes}} Too Short > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums]</ref>

For his next album, ''[[Blow the Whistle (album)|Blow the Whistle]]'' (2006), Too Short now took advantage of the new [[hyphy]] rap music that was emerging out of his original home base in Oakland. This saw somewhat of a resurgence for Too Short as it peaked at No. 14 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], much better than each of his previous three releases.<ref name=autogenerated1 />  However, his subsequent releases, such as 2007's ''[[Get Off the Stage]]'', have not been as successful. On October 7, 2008, Too Short was honored by VH1 at the fifth annual "Hip-Hop Honors" along with [[Cypress Hill]], [[De La Soul]], [[Slick Rick]] and [[Naughty By Nature]].<ref name="autogenerated1" /><ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web|url=http://www.vh1savethemusic.com/node/145 |title=Hip Hop Pioneers Honored |publisher=VH1 | work= Save The Music |date=August 12, 2008 |access-date= November 22, 2011}}</ref>

In 2009, Too Short recorded for [[Daz Dillinger]], [[Lil Jon]], [[Soopafly]], [[Scarface (rapper)|Scarface]] and [[B-Legit]].<ref name="mtv.com" /> In 2011, the rapper was featured on [[Wiz Khalifa]]'s song "[[On My Level]]". He also collaborated in [[Snoop Dogg]]'s 2011 album, ''[[Doggumentary]]'' in the song "Take U Home" and on the [[50 Cent]] song "[[First Date (50 Cent song)|First Date]]". In 2012 Too Short along with [[E-40]] released two collaboration albums on the same day titled ''[[History: Mob Music]]'' and ''[[History: Function Music]]''. Both charted in the top 100 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] albums chart. Too Short has said the best verse he has ever recorded is a verse for a song on [[Dr. Dre]]'s ''Detox'' called "Man's Best Friend (Pussy)".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.22178/title.too-short-says-his-greatest-verse-is-the-dr-dre-detox-sessions-talks-vh1-couples-therapy|title=Too Short Says His Greatest Verse Is The Dr. Dre "Detox" Sessions, Talks Vh1 "Couples Therapy" |date=December 11, 2012|work=HipHopDX|access-date=March 9, 2015}}</ref>

In 2013, it was announced he would collaborate with [[Lady Gaga]] on a song "Jewels n' Drugs" for her upcoming album ''[[Artpop]]''. Also featured on the song are [[T.I.]] and [[Twista]].<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1713411/lady-gaga-itunes-festival-performance.jhtml |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130905084720/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1713411/lady-gaga-itunes-festival-performance.jhtml |url-status= dead |archive-date= September 5, 2013 |title= Lady Gaga Raps, Rages And Shares Sex Dreams At iTunes Festival|website=Mtv.com|access-date=May 21, 2016}}</ref>

In 2015, Too Short was featured on actor Tavion Tate Guice's song "Oakland Brookfield Dance".

In 2016, Too Short was featured on the song "Cochino" by Argentine-American rapper [[Dumbfoundead]]. The song is the seventh track off of Dumbfoundead's fifth studio album ''We Might Die''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://soundcloud.com/dumbfoundead/sets/wemightdie|title=Dumbfoundead – We Might Die|website=SoundCloud.com|language=en|access-date=March 4, 2017}}</ref>

Six years after his last release, Too Short released his 20th album ''[[The Pimp Tape]]'' 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''.
[[File:Tooshort (300dpi).jpg|thumb| right |alt=Too Short performing in 2008|Too Short in 2008]]In 2022, the City of Oakland honored Too Short with a commemorative street sign declaring a section of Foothill Boulevard "Too $hort Way" and proclaiming December 10, 2022 to be "Too $hort Day."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meza |first=David |date=2022-12-12 |title=Photos: City honors Oakland rapper Too $hort with his own day and street sign |url=https://oaklandside.org/2022/12/12/too-short-way-street-renaming-oakland-libby-schaaf/ |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=The Oaklandside |language=en-US}}</ref>