Too $hort

Today In Hip Hop History: The Notorious B.I.G.’s Posthumous ‘Life After Death’ LP Turns 25 Years Old!

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A quarter century ago today in Hip-Hop history, Notorious B.I.G. released his second album, Life After Death. The double LP was released posthumously by Bad Boy Records. Biggie, who was killed two weeks prior to its release, was nominated for three Grammy’s for this project: Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance for “Hypnotize” and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for “Mo Money Mo Problems.”

Featuring artists like 112, Jay-Z, Lil’ Kim, Ma$e, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Too $hort and R. Kelly, along with tracks like “Kick In The Door,” “What’s Beef,” “Notorious Thugs,” “Ten Crack Commandments” and “Sky’s The Limit,” it can be said that Life After Death is one of the greatest rap albums of all time. The album hit #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and the US Top R&B/Hip Hop chart. It went diamond (that’s 10,000,000 copies sold) in the United States alone, double platinum in Canada, and platinum in the UK. Life After Death has also made appearances on top music charts across the globe. The album has been ranked by countless publications as one of the top rap and Hip-Hop albums of all time (The Source ranked it as #8 in 2005).

Salute to Diddy and the rest of the Bad Bot family for this timeless piece of Hip Hop history!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: The Notorious B.I.G.’s Posthumous ‘Life After Death’ LP Turns 25 Years Old! appeared first on The Source.

[WATCH] Too Short: “When You Gun Down a Rapper, You Just Gunned Down Five Employees’ Income”

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With the shocking consistency of rappers going to jail, being shot, and worse, Bay Area legend Too Short appeared on Club Shay Shay with Shannon Sharpe to talk about the downside of rap wars in the streets.

Short Dog says that the incarceration and/or death of a rapper hurts not only the artist but the people around him that have now been provided a way out of their otherwise bleak circumstances.

“That’s why I think we’re losing a lot of rappers, because, you know, chop it off at the head. That’s the bread and butter,” Short said. “When you gun down the rapper, you just gunned down five other employees’ income; you just gunned down school kids’ clothes, Christmas, a dope birthday that was going to happen.”

The post [WATCH] Too Short: “When You Gun Down a Rapper, You Just Gunned Down Five Employees’ Income” appeared first on The Source.

[WATCH] Too $hort Tells Shannon Sharpe Why He Will Never Retire

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Don’t look for Too $hort to retire anytime soon. During an appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, the Oakland legend revealed why he still takes the stage in 2022 and beyond.

“I do it because, once upon a time, I announced that I was retiring,” Too Short said. “I was 30 years old, and it was a big promotional push behind, ‘Too $hort retiring’ – I was on my 10th album at the time and I remember DJ Red Alert said to me, ‘You don’t ever see jazz musicians retiring or blues? Diana Ross and Smokey (Robinson) – they’re still on the stage. Why does a rapper have to stop?’

“So when he said that, I never ever considered retirement ever again. And I think that, the more I get older and wiser, I’m thinking somebody’s got to keep doing this.”

During his time on Club Shay Shay, Too $hort also discussed rap beef, visiting Atlanta in the 90s, Biggie and Tupac, and more. You can check out the full episode below.

In case you missed it, Too $hort has released a new single called “Big Sexy Thang,” which is a modern take on Hot Chocolate’s iconic song “You Sexy Thing (I Believe In Miracles)” and will be featured on his future album. The new release features Lil Duval.

The news comes only one day after $hort debuted the tune at his critically lauded NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, highlighting his rap career longevity in honor of Black Music Month. The Bay Area legend, who is the only active hip-hop artist to have released albums in each of the last five decades, played a slew of classics from the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 10s, and 20s, including “Big Sexy Thang,” “Blow The Whistle,” “The Ghetto,” and others.

Before releasing “Big Sexy Thang,” $hort debuted “Nasty Dance” at a virtual strip joint, thanks to a collaboration with Kid Cudi’s interactive live music app Encore. The two worked on “Live from Too $ hort’s Funhouse,” a series of augmented reality live concerts.

You can hear the new single below.

The post [WATCH] Too $hort Tells Shannon Sharpe Why He Will Never Retire appeared first on The Source.

Too $hort Teams with Lil Duval For New Single “Big Sexy Thang”

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Big Sexy Thang

Too $hort has released a new single called “Big Sexy Thang,” which is a modern take on Hot Chocolate’s iconic song “You Sexy Thing (I Believe In Miracles)” and will be featured on his future album. The new release features Lil Duval.

The news comes only one day after $hort debuted the tune at his critically lauded NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, which highlighted his rap career longevity in honor of Black Music Month. The Bay Area legend, who is the only active hip-hop artist to have released albums in each of the last five decades, played a slew of classics from the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 10s, and 20s, including “Big Sexy Thang,” “Blow The Whistle,” “The Ghetto,” and others.

Prior to the release of “Big Sexy Thang,” $hort debuted “Nasty Dance” at a virtual strip joint, thanks to a collaboration with Kid Cudi’s interactive live music app Encore. The two worked on “Live from Too $hort’s Funhouse,” a series of augmented reality live concerts.

You can hear the new single below.

The post Too $hort Teams with Lil Duval For New Single “Big Sexy Thang” appeared first on The Source.

Too $hort Brings Decades of Hits to NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert

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Too $hort performing an NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert during Black History Month is only right. The Hip-Hop icon pulled up on NPR to celebrate his longevity and dope career, which includes releasing an album in five different decades.

The Bay Area legend brought to an NPR a set that included “Blow The Whistle,” “The Ghetto,” and even the Mount Westmore collaboration “Big Subwoofer.” Fans also get a preview of his new single “Big Sexy Thang” with Lil Duval.

You can see the full performance below.

The post Too $hort Brings Decades of Hits to NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert appeared first on The Source.