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1986
- Now, with three records under his belt, it was time
to hit the big time. He felt his record company wasn't
committed enough to his interests, and to his career,
so he created his own label together with new manager
Randy Austin, aptly named DANGEROUS MUSIC. He quickly
released the album Born
to mack
which was mostly self produced for Dangerous Music,
though it featured production by T. Bohannon. Together
they sold the tape "out the trunk". They
actually paved they way for the Bay Area's Indie movement,
which later perefect the distubution art.
The
album caught the attention of JIVE RECORDS excutives
(who at this stage were a new start-up company created
by UK's ZOMBA, and were eagerly searching for talent
to add to their roster of musicians) As a result of
signing a seven record deal with JIVE RECORDS, the
album was re-released through Jive, giving Short truly
nationwide distribution - a year before anyone had
even heard the likes of Public Enemy for example.
Born to mack stayed true to Short's musical style,
and has now become a Too Short (not to mention Oaktown)
classic. Some say this was his best album, and it
also produced the Short's best known track - 'These
are the tales (the freaky tales.'
| ON MAKING HIS RECORDS:
"While I record, I ain't saying 'I don't
get none' while I rap. Once or twice while I was
making an album and I was in a serious relationship,
it clashed. When I'm sittin ther writing this
stuff, it kinda makes me write a litle soft. I
mean, I explain this to who ever I happen to be
involved with at the time, that, you know, let
me slack back a lil' while, get in this raunchy
frame of mind, play my role. I gotta be feelin
like a dog... So for about 30 days, five, six
weeks, I just vibe on these tracks. And until
I get to about 10, 11, 12 songs, I realy don't
analyse it all. Then I'll take a day or two -
maybe a week - and all I'll listen to is old Too
Short. What have I been? What was I doin'? Who
has he been all this time? What are some of the
things he's said?" |
1988
-1989
-
Too short had by now been introduced to many similary
talented artists and while he still held on to Dangerous
Music, he formed a crew of Oakland artists. The
DANGEROUS CREW included names who are now well known
to any Fan of Shorts music, like ANT BANKS, SHORTY
B, PEE WEE, SPICE 1, FREDDY B, BABY-D, GOLDY, and
MC BREED. Too Short worked as producer for many
of their cuts, and in 1988 they came out with their
first album The
Dangerous Crew. By now rap was beging
to fully take hold.
1988
was probably one of the best years in hip hop with
regards to some incredible albums coming out - including
'It takes a nation of millions to hold us back',
by Public Enemy and NWA's 'Straight Outta Compton'.
Too Short's contribution to 1988 was Life
is...too short
which, in another hip hop first for Too Short, was
released in an unprecedented way: it was released
in both a "Clean"-version as well as an
"Explicit"-version. This would have been
due to the growing backlash towards hip hop's growing
reach - and it's unadulterated message that same
with it. The music industry soon got it's first
taste of the the Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics
stickers eagerly pushed into force by the Tipper
Gore lead coalition of the PRMC. There
once was a rumour that Too Short died. "I
(Too Short laughs) kinda helped that rumour. You
get famous, you get a rumour. I just finished getting
off the NWA tour when those rumours started. My
album, Life Is...Too Short sold like 500.000 copies
and the release of that rumour made the album go
platinum. I heard on radio stations were giving
me memorials and telling different versions - I
got shot or murdered - it was major. It was so major,
I had to make a record for my next album telling
people I'm not dead (laughs)". This
album featured co-production by Oakland Producer
Al Eaton together for One Little Indian Productions.
This album was Too Short's first taste of going
Platinum. This was pretty much the way it stayed
throughout the Jive Years.
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