Too $hort Explains All His Famous Album Covers

Too Short's career has spanned three decades, and being the prolific artist that he is, he's released a huge amount of albums. According to Short, from the early days, he's always liked to put a little more thought into his covers than your average artist.
Short has seen it all in terms of distribution, from the original independent hustle, to major labels, to releasing music exclusively on the internet, and his artwork reflects those changes in the industry. Of course, he makes sure to go through plenty of tangents and stories while he's explaining the covers. Short will be celebrating his 30th anniversary in the game this Friday at SXSW.

[@dixirkt]

It ain't easy.. but I'm tellin you, it ain't hard either All you gotta do is keep hustlin man, don't ever give up Too Short

[@tamarasinkule1427]

that's what's up holla cha boy O.G. Mad Mike

[@toddWAZhere69]

The reason he has sooo many is because he " Don't stop rappin'. "

[@trilolova]

Mane I bought a drop biarritz just because of the Born to Mack album.

[@Tbcz]

Dj quick said yhat too

[@dirty_c5573]

Did you roll on vogue's ?

[@MisterOldSkoolRyder]

Facts

[@krumabon1903]

Me too

[@mustafahajj]

2mil sold... life too short with no radio support. Can't tell me this man is not legendary. MTV does not talk about how Short, NWA and Getto Boys went Platinum + with no spins. Record companies doesn't want those stories told.

[@jarmelbennett7693]

Yup true legend in the game

[@marccram2664]

Damn the first sentence sounds like a $hort lyric "life too short with no radio support"

[@mustafahajj]

@@marccram2664 🤣🤣🤣

[@thegreatone9923]

My favorite too short albums Get in where you fit in Cocktails Life is too short Married to the game Blow the whistle

[@vulkandeathgrip5568]

Too shorts beats always bump hella hard just something to cruise around too with the subs pushin ! Dope shit !

[@fideltorres6380]

Too Short my favorite producer early albums.

[@met0171]

Legend, listened to every one of them

[@Masterchief542]

Thats crazy, i never woulda guessed it was the same girl with different clothes on for the shorty the pimp album!

[@amandalively1]

So true about people on the stage.

[@DefSquadFan]

Better start doing Arenas then. That ain't happening at the Garden.

[@DefSquadFan]

Who inspired the 75 Girls albums? Don't Stop Rappin, Players, and Raw Uncut and X-rated. Those covers capture the time and pioneering era of West Coast Hip-hop.

[@UNDERGROUNDskateco]

I think Dean Hodges or someone at 75 girls made all of those album covers

[@oliverhernandez1735]

Shorty the pimp and get in where you fit in are one of the best albums to me of too short

[@tylerraisl3939]

For sure! I agree! Cocktails was great too!

[@arveediscatafire9204]

My favorite rap artist of all time!

[@tonrobert3391]

The only album cover I wanted to know the the inspiration behind was Life is Too Short .... but he said nothing about the inspiration behind the album cover. He just talked about how big the album was.

[@mustafahajj]

Ton Robert Great comment. I wanted to know as well. I remember the day the classic was released in my region and we all was like what is Short sayin'?

[@DefSquadFan]

Yeah that album caused people to start that rumor that he died. I never read into that when I first saw it back in 89 but I can see why the rumors started.

[@eastside313yahdig.2]

It’s was about Wack MC’s

[@arveediscatafire9204]

It's about him killing MC's on wax!

[@EricRosemusic]

I love how Humble Too Short is here.

[@rawdollarkarbone]

Sir Too $hort Don't Stop that Rap !!!

[@DanielTorres-hh3lw]

Mid way through he stopped explaining the cover art and just started reminiscing lol

[@djpaulywood]

I still have his og cassettes :)

[@patrickmccutcheon8860]

Rip the audio and upload it, dude. All these tapes he was slinging on the streets and there is no audio anywhere on the Internet to be found.

[@yOGlo]

That's dope asf !! 💯😎 I only got life is... on tape

[@seanc5085]

I have all his homemade stuff on cassettes he made a special request for James and Red talked about them through the whole song never knew who they were tho…lol but I have a shit load that were dubbed from city to city friend to friend “let me dub that” (old school people know what I’m talkin bout 😂 grew up in the Bay during this time

[@djpaulywood]

@@seanc5085 oh hells yeah

[@HurricaneRonnie]

My dad gave me Shorty The pimp...and later on when I turned 14 I started rapping all because of Too Short...so from 1996 to 2008 I released 80 albums and sold worldwide...now after a 10 year break I'm coming back with a new album...I really look up to Uncle Short and no one in this new generation can ever hope to make good music like his albums!

[@dkfbaby1]

1987-2000 Too $hort is the man that beat the man. The old too short needs to come back and kill the mic. I'll take those albums over all this new shit any day.

[@johng5261]

why 2000?

[@Djkeithkick]

Just great.. best 15 minutes spent in a long time. Thank you.

[@user-vj1we6ru3u]

Too Short and Ant Banks 2019 please

[@tylerraisl3939]

Oh man i was jus thinking the same thing!!!!

[@myhops]

9:13 LOL Too $hort is awesome

[@jaimebecerra1797]

Have you seen BIA BIA video? He is dressed up pimp style.he goes hard on it too.check it out.

[@carmendale9710]

Love you to short, don’t ever stop

[@DefSquadFan]

I always thought Too Short didn't care anymore after he retired. Now I'm convinced of it. Can't remember nothing after Album number 10 (His last good album). His rap style has changed, his voice is cracks and he flow just not smooth. I'm not going mention beat and producer choices. The feel of Oakland left the music. No shouting out different crews from the turf no more. He sounds like it's just a job and a check to him. I'm not mad I'm just convinced he doesn't really care anymore. Don't Stop Rappin all the way to the Gettin' it album are the only "real" Too Short albums.

[@AM-dl7ot]

@Mista Scott Yea , RIP rappin ron. "You aint heard shit yet" was one of the best flow songs in hip hop

[@johng5261]

hey, i loved the early and mid 2000's stuff too. Everything can't stay the same forever, I loved album number 10. He still made many hits after that, and as far as I'm concerned his heart is still in it. It's just a different too short.

[@johng5261]

@Chuck Taylor Still blowing was a classic album, yeah, his internet only album release or whatever. It's right up there for me.

[@guiltypleasureisland6642]

Sea Pea All that funk started to play out or everything had been sampled to death.Thats one reason the west coast had kinda fell off at the time bcuz most of the sound was gfunk.DJ Quik still around bcuz he can make music from scratch and don't need to rely on samples thats why he's one of the best.Plus for the people who still love funk he'll always have an audience

[@marlinfish128]

Too short was a force for me in the early 90's. Yo, big thanks Sir Too Short. Man, I bought all your cd's from LIFE'S TOO SHORT ON! THANKS AGAIN!!!!@ SOMETHING TO DRIVE TOO!!!!!

[@oliverhernandez1735]

Too short is the Bay Area legend

[@yeethers]

Rap legend

[@dukesmooth1946]

Forsho we got too many

[@mrbigtymer78]

I have the "Cocktails and Getting It" albums on my phone right now in 2018, those were his last 2 classic albums

[@24hourgmtchannel64]

Back in 1988 as a white guy with a diverse music range a fellow brother co-worker hooked me up to Life is Too Short and over the years I had to replace the cassette twice due to playing the hell out of it over and over. Even at 57 I still say it is one of the best Too Short and for that matter of all rap albums of all time IMO.

[@RobertoTheOriginalManFromTheA]

Cocktails is the bump til this day!!.. interesting year for me as well when I bought it.

[@vernonpaigejr.1517]

I bought that CD like 5 times, that's my favorite Too $hort album right there.

[@ronanderson8490]

One of my top picks for rappers y'all. Pac and Biggie are gone but we still have a living legend with $hort. As a matter of fact, I'm probably one of the few who will put him over those two because of his love for hip hop, his consistency, his understated intelligence, and his uncompromising/unapologetic approach since DAY ONE.

[@bmguninc]

love this interview & breakdown straight from the OG himself! !!💯✔👍

[@shantezdazen6752]

Look kids , a Legend...

[@leftysouthpawofdetttth7340]

The legend! Salute from NY and NC

[@rockrhymrr]

Real intelligent dude

[@gerardo100]

Don't stop short. Keep on doing it Playa

[@jaybreak4206]

Cocktails iz KLASSIK

[@andrewbraun5188]

Jasson Tabora yes I agree with cocktails is one of the most famous albums that he did

[@andrewbraun5188]

You need to talk about cocktails cuz that was one of the most hardest records you ever put out

[@SuckaFree-zq9rh]

Born to Mack and Short Dog's in the House were my favorite covers

[@frederickanthony1965]

Legend

[@hip-hop_2012]

I been listening to too short since I was at least 7

[@dreazy34]

Too short has a great library. After getting it he has more new school joints which is great to me, he evolved with hip hop and fans get off the stage shines bright to me with his new school funk and I'm glad he changed it up a bit. I can play some slaps for my young fam and they be like Damn this beat goes ham.

[@genogambino7030]

Facts

[@chocolatechipslime]

Gettin It is my fav album cover!

[@1family622]

I was in the get in where u fit in video, i was 13yrs old

[@brentbare3698]

Cocktails Get In Where You Fit In Gettin' It Those 3 Are My Top 3 Favorite Albums...

[@c3mi979]

Too $hort is just as Hip Hop as Rakim. It's not just about making the most complex lyrics or using double entendres and internal rhyme schemes. If you can have a relatively basic flow and simple structure, but make it sound fresh and dope as fuck, and you do the shit for over 5 decades!? You are the epitome of Hip Hop. As far as the album covers... Uncle Snoop should be cutting the lil homie a check for heavily influencing that Doggy Style album cover. Also, you could say Get In Where You Fit In influenced that iconic Death Row pic of them in all black with the platinum chains on. Born To Mack symbolizes $hort to a T. Simple, but dope as fuck. The Life Is Too $hort album cover will always be my favorite since it was my first $hort album and I just love that "Born On Stage, Died On Wax" engraving. Shorty The Pimp and Cocktails are both iconic as well.

[@rafa7622]

*5 decades

[@victorramirez522]

do more videos like this with other rappers please

[@H-Bomb_DaDonDaDa]

Consistent

[@SV1998DX]

Too short is great !!

[@TooBokoo]

Although, I certainly liked this video, the title is a little misleading. Short didn't really explain where he got the ideas for each cover or the meaning behind them all. He mostly talked about the albums and why he liked them. LOL! 3.5/5

[@hansdado]

i like this review 👌

[@noahgracie6676]

Yo you are the first rapper i remember my brother playing it and my mom saying what the hell is this turn this s*** off and definitely inspired me first hardcore nasty rapper is straight-up Legend I'm from Northern California made us proud thank you short

[@TyhlerNovac]

Anyone notice that when Kings of hip hop are mentioned no west coast rappers are ever mentioned as top 5 .. too short and Snoop are in Top 5 Definitely

[@tylerraisl3939]

Top 5???? Eh maybe top 10

[@alberto_saurus]

Not snoop, sorry. Snoop’s overrated

[@louisjones7261]

I grew up on you man. My guy frfr. Made me love Cali and I never even been there lol Salute

[@carlitot5388]

Straight legend 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💯

[@roosterking5272]

Cash 💰 Money Baby”Bumpn 2 Short Tape Born To Mack💯

[@dollasignmic18344]

Too$hort 💯 awready talking bout his album covers don't get better than dat

[@OfficialEDirty]

legend

[@killyourtelevision999]

7:09-8:41 I am still stunned that security would permit people on the stage with whoever is performing.

[@patrickmccutcheon8860]

You ever go to a rap show? There's no security haha usually it's in some club and the only security is the bouncer, unless the rapper is big enough to hire his own.

[@umichaa00]

Too Short needs to do a podcast

[@rufus5208]

Is he talking about photoshop when he says "computer imaging"?

[@stillphil]

8:53 YES TODD

[@HQLBvideo]

The only rapper I actually care to know about his album cover details. Hahahaha! Too $hort my all time favorite rapper! 💯

[@davidallenjr6717]

I like all too short albums

[@OfficialEDirty]

this is the man that made me want to start rappin. when i heard freaky tales i was blown away

[@DjjontyPr]

Get in where you fit in. Top.

[@skitzoweirdo5313]

Ol skool Too Short✌️💜 flow stay cold👻

[@ChaseNimmer]

LIVING LEGEND

[@thundreds69]

Get in where you fit in .. I love that album. “Album number 8, 5 nation wide, 2 gold, 2 platinum”

[@CoverArtMatters]

Bring this back

[@lorib2932]

Man I seen Too Short in concert and lost my mine and my favorite moment he did Freaky Tails so lit😀

[@dirtypimpbird]

I knew this girl named Lori B..........Ha Ha, I have so many ends for those words...Peace and Respect

[@tylerraisl3939]

After he split from ant banks production i really didnt like any albums. Maybe a few tracks here and there but the whole sound changed. Much love for short though cause i still rock his shit

[@mikaeels.6477]

Smart brother

[@gonzalojimenez6142]

Short dogg always gonna be a legend

[@djdannyd816]

Too Short The Legend

[@TyhlerNovac]

My Favorite Album is Life Is....... Too Short and Blow Job Betty top 5 favorite Too Short songs

[@phallghuy]

Get in where you fit in....... I'm a playaaaaa

[@view3282]

damn, great video

[@PoliticalP2070]

Love short.

[@dondotta8304]

too short real af

[@lissav183]

I love u Too Short I can rap yo songs for u cause I Kno them all

[@williewinston1498]

Top 5 in my book fasho

[@alh4213]

BOZ FROM CAPITAL TAX WAS THE ARTIST ON SHORT DOGS IN THE HOUSE

[@Icebgriz]

BORN TO MACK.... GOING DOWN IN HISTORY A MYSTERY WITH NO NAME COULD IT BE HE A PIMPING P WHO MAKE HIS BEATS FOR DOPEFIENDS

[@941lowelife2]

Cocktail my fav I skipped 1 period to cop it 12 grade

[@ivanlookin7113]

"Excuse me, $hort, can you move your mic stand over a bit, my buddy wants to get up here.."

[@marcgreer4357]

I laughed when he was like cant stay away? I think that was the after retirement album 🤣🤣🤣

[@OfficialEDirty]

goat

[@chocolatechipslime]

The ad before the video was a maple bourbon shake from Krystal’s. Did anyone else see this ad?

[@stanw2730]

Legend , godfather, super OG

[@BATHEMEINYOURGLORY7]

10:18 lol

[@lorib2932]

Short Dogg in tha House

[@ants8527]

Every Too Short Album Is The Shit!!!

[@941lowelife2]

Life is too I forget

[@solomonleyva3046]

honest man

[@bouieer]

u can see the boom mic @2:00

[@marvinhall2278]

The Drop Dawg Candy Baritz

[@eighteen7records656]

🐐

[@DefSquadFan]

From an artistic standpoint Shorty the Pimp had the best album cover. Fans like Born to Mack probably. I don't really like Born to mack because I can't see his face very well. The Gettin' Album cover kinda bit Nas and Biggie's cover. The Get in Where you fit in represented a Godfather Goodfellas kind of look which was actually the gangster tone of the album. He was beefin with Poohman and there was a War going on in Oakland at the time which caused him to relocate. His last 10 album covers are better than the actual music. The worst album cover is the No Trespassing and The Dangerous Crew album. It seems like no thought was put into either album cover. Can't Stay Away reminds me of the Nationwide Album. The You Nasty album cover I bought looks way different than the one he showed. Like pants! Blow the Whitstle probably was the best album cover of that era but it's nothing special. The Get Off the Stage album I thought he was dissing himself like he was too old to be on stage so that didn't work for me. Too self deprecating but now I realize what he meant but the message was lost on me. Chase the cat was alright but the picture of Short is too small and it's not even a good picture of him. My favorite album cover was Life is Too Short. Probably because it was the first Short album I bought. The cover just went along with the video of him rapping at the cemetery. It was real and there wasn't nothing pimp or player about it. It was more inspirational and that's the Too Short music I like. Life is..., Gettin' it, The Ghetto, Ain't no love in Oakland and The Loot. Songs that make you want to hustle or better yourself.

[@vonversace]

Album #10

[@Easiderz]

FINALLY!!!! Lol good shit!!

[@kylapimp7443]

Born to Mack turned me into a pimp rapper. Thanks Too Short