1980 - Just as it was being in the midst of these surroundings that the character TOO SHORT was created. His musical style was no accident either. As far as musical inspiration, he grew up on a diet of 70's funk music. According to Todd, it was a mixture of two things that shaped his music; groups like George Clinton, Cameo and Ohio Players; and 'early, early rap' music by Sugar Hill Records. His two all-time favourite old-school rappers are Super Rhymes (Jimmy Spicer) and Mellie Mel, of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five fame.

As far as musical mentors in young Todd's early life, he credits all his elementary, junior and high school music teachers. They taught him the fundamentals of music. Another source of guidance were all the record stores that he frequented from around the time he was 8. These people would suggest new records and certain songs. Todd's first taste of making music was when he became the drummer in his school's marching band. He also took horn and guitar lessons.

In his own words he "had just been playing around one night" and the spark of a new rapper was born. They were highly influenced by the shady characters of Oakland's pimps and players - inner city idols. Soon enough, their first ever sale was to a local drug dealer. "I was at a guy's place, called Hot Lips, down in East Oakland. Freddy B and I hung out a lot at his house, we would often pass by." Todd Shaw and Freddy B would do their raps for Hot Lips, when one day he said matter of factly "I am not really interested [in what you are rapping about], I don't want to hear that shit! If you had my name in that shit though, I'd play it." The next day Todd Shaw and his partner Freddy B came around with a new tape with his name in the song, and they made their first twenty bucks. They instantly saw a new untapped market. As word spread, the boys became inundated with requests for their tapes, by local pimps and players wanting the ultimate ego boost.

Soon he was to discover the thrill of jumping on the mic. Together with his partner Fred Benz (Freddy B) who went to the same high school, he turned his bedroom into 'a studio' and started experimenting by cueing up 12" instruments with a mic and a Radio Shack mixer - or it can now be seen as the begining of his pioneering work in rap history. "I wanted to be the most famous rapper on the underground who you never saw before." He says that being a young rapper in the early 80s was all about "just actually making people have fun and being able to get the mike at a party and the crowd really liking you. That was the satisfaction."