Too $hort

Oakland, California-based rapper Too $hort was an integral figure in the emergence of West Coast gangsta rap during the late-1980s and early-1990s. Too $hort is largely responsible for putting Northern California on the map for rap music during the time that LA's Dre Dre and Snoop Dogg were dominating the nation's charts. Too $hort is best known for his "pimp chronicles," songs which detail his life as a pimp in East Oakland and his nasally, higher-pitched voice is an infectious addition to his easy-going but dexterous lyricism. Perhaps as a result of his vocal style, Too Short has often preferred the West Coast g-funk production style that Dr. Dre made popular in the early 1990s. Notable releases include his 1988 album Life Is...Too Short and 2006's Blow the Whistle which saw Too Short acknowledge the Bay Area's meteoric "hyphy" movement, though mainly in production aesthetic rather than lyrical style.