As the undisputed West Coast hero of Bay Area hip hop, Too $hort has earned the respect and admiration of audiences and artists worldwide with his undeniable talent and style.Todd Anthony Shaw was born in South Central Los Angeles, yet, moved to Oakland with his family by the time he was 14.† In the early 80's, while he was in high school he started producing custom raps with his buddy, Freddie B, which, they in turn sold on the street for a mere 5 bucks. †It wasn't long until he adopted the stage name, Too $hort and cultivated his trademark rap style which has matured over the years from raw drum beats to more established funk riffs.His first official release Don't Stop Rappinù was ushered by local label, 75 Girlsù in 1983, but it wasn't long before he joined forces with his trusted friend, Freddie B. and together they formed their own record label, Dangerous Music.† The label has matured, just as $horty's back-up tracks, and it is currently called Up All Night Music Records. $horty is respected as a legend throughout the hip hop community and it is no wonder.† Shortly after starting his own label, he recorded Born to Mack (1986) which sold more the 50,000 copies without any radio play!Catching on to the vibe, New York's Jive Records provided a national deal for the album in 1987 and it went gold.† His follow-up album, Life Is Too Short, achieved platinum sales by 1989.His hit-record-status continued throughout the 90's with his next two albums Shorty the Pimp (1992) and Get in Where You Fit In (1993), both of which went platinum. $horty decided to take a break and retire, but, not before his fifth album, Gettin' It followed suit and went platinum, as well.Too $hort couldn't stay away, however and he returned 3 years later with the album, appropriately titled, Can't Stay Away(1999), which debuted in the Top Ten and went gold.† Since his return in 2000, he's released 8 more albums, the most recent being, Bible of a Pimp.It's hard to believe that this mastermind started out by selling cassettes out of the trunk of his car, and now, has released over 16 albums, 10 of which earned gold and/or platinum status.† We, at Young Hollywood certainly agree that Too $hort is the Godfather of West Coast hip hop and he has the track record to prove it.