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How did you transition from Oakland to Atlanta in the early
90s?"
Too Short-It
was actually a two part thing. Freaknic. Remember that little
thing called Freak-Nic?
Yeah.
Too Short-Freaknic
'93 is like legendary. A friend of mine from Oakland was living
in Atlanta. He told me I should come and check out this event
and it was all that and some more. I had been to Atlanta many
times and I had been up in the Magic Cities and done several
shows out there but that one event showed a new light of Atlanta
to me and not just the partying and stuff. There was a pretty
healthy music scene out there with Laface Records and Jermaine
Dupri, Dallas Austin, Toni Braxton was there, Bobby Brown was
there, ABC, TLC, Arrested Development. I recognized that they
were active in the music industry and it was a good move for
me.
What was it like working with Jazze Pha and Lil Jon on your
new album?
Too Short-I
had been working with those guys for many years since before
either one of them was rich and famous. Lil Jon, I was extremely
instrumental in him getting his career started. Jazze Pha I
was giving him working and paying him for beats when nobody
was paying him. Them are my homies and I have been working with
them for years and years. Jazze Pha and Lil Jon have been producing
songs on my albums since the late 90's.
Now I know you have retired several times what makes you keep
coming back to the game?
Too Short-I
retired for two months in '96 and I've made seven albums since
then and everybody keeps saying I retired I don't know. That
was 1996. I never announced it ever again. I said it that one
time and that one time was partially a publicity stunt.
I guess people remember because I remember I was sad. Well
what made you want to retire at that time?
Too Short-There
are all these stereotypes that when you get older you have to
stop rapping. I was feeding into that but I'm not feeding into
that anymore.
Which of your classic songs do you incorporate into your set
list?
Too Short-Well
they would be mad at me if I didn't do "Freaky Tales," "Cuss
Words," "Don't Fight The Feelin'," "Gettin' It," those are the
songs that they have to hear.
Do you do "In The Trunk?"
Too Short-I
don't do "In The Truck" because it's not one of the Too Short
classics. It was a good singles and it was really hot at the
time. I used to put it in my show years ago but it's not one
of the long lasting popular ones like "Blowjob Betty."
Speaking of "Freaky Tales," I know you used to have a real
nasty, dirty, freaky element to your music. Is that something
that your fans will find on this new album or have you moved
past that?
Too Short-It
never went away ever.
I know that Jive is a label you were with as far back as the
80s. What led you back to working with Jive again?
Too Short-I've
actually been through two contracts with Jive. I did the first
one we did about six albums and this time around this will be
the 7th album. I've done 13 albums with Jive.
What can you tell me about your new album?
Too Short-Well
the production was Jazze Pha and Lil Jon did most of the album
but what's on there that is of some interest to the world is
the Snoop Dogg Will.I.Am song was produced by Will.I.Am. It
has Fergie and Will.I.Am on there. Snoop Dogg got the Dogg Pound
back together and I did a song with them. I have a duet with
David Banner. There aren't a lot of guess appearances because
I wanted it to play like a Too Short album. You know a lot of
our favorite artists we listen to know their albums are compilations.
I just didn't want to get caught up in that.
Outside of music what other business ventures have you taken
up?
Too Short-Well
I am a music man all the way around. Most of the things that
I do are music related. I guess the main thing that I do is
I am like a pornography dabbler so to speak. I'm not in the
porn industry but I frequent around events and do invest in
certain little projects. I'm really not feeling that so I'm
trying to shift over to some seriously explicit R rated films.
That's my next venture.
Do you ever get a chance to get on the Internet and see what
the fans are saying?
Too Short-Well
yeah I have a couple of websites that I get printed out e-mails
from that are directly sent to me. I'm not really…even though
I'm Internet savvy I'm not churned out enough to sit on Myspace
for hours.
I know you've worked with a lot of artists over the years but
are there any of the collaborations that stand out as favorites?
Too Short-Well
I always tell people my favorite artists to work with are E-40
and Scarface. We've done like so many songs together. Pimp C
and Bun B we've done a lot of songs together over the years.
My producers my man Ant Banks we worked together for many, many
years. Just recently, my favorite two producers are Jazze Pha
and Lil Jon. They seem to know how to work without any communication
we always seem to be on the same page.
Is there a common theme to the album or anything in particularly
that you are talking about?
Too Short-I
think on this album the goal that I was striving for was too
establish that at the age of 40 there is still room for a hip-hop
artist to be relevant. There is a serious, serious, stereotyping
going around that age and rapping and getting older just don't
go together. People are really saying in their interviews "I
want to be rich, I don't want to be an older rapper." It's music.
You're doing what you love. So matter how rich you get or how
many hit records you have who says that you can't keep doing
it. I don't know who started this thing. Hip-hop, we all grew
up on it. It hasn't become something that your 70 years old
saying I grew up on hip-hop. It's still young. The hip-hop audience
has not gotten older like senior age. I am trying to figure
out who laid down the law saying you have to stop rapping at
twenty-something. I don't know who started it.
Related Links-http://www.tooshortworld.com/
 Interview
copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, and Thabiz.com 2005
Dorrie Williams-Wheeler is the author of Be
My Sorority Sister Under Pressure and the Unplanned
Pregnancy Book for Teens and College Students. She is the
founder of Thabiz.com and
Imissthe80s.com and
writes for the Rap,
Teen, and 1980s
section at Bellaonline.com. She is an ASCAP member as a writer
and a publisher. Please contact Dorrie for advertising
inquiries, lyric writing inquiries, reprint rights, paying
entertainment jobs, or general comments.
Visit Dorrie on the web at www.sparkledoll.com
or e-mail her at webmaster@thabiz.com.
May not be reprinted, copied or distributed.
Interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, thabiz.com Sept.
2005
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