Shorty the Pimp is the seventh studio album by American rapper Too Short. It was released on July 14, 1992, via Jive Records. The album's title is taken from the 1973 blaxploitation film of the same name, featuring an eponymous character.
| Shorty the Pimp | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 14, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1991–92 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 1:05:15 | |||
| Label | Jive | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Too Short chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Shorty the Pimp | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | C+[2] |
The recording sessions took place at One Little Indian Recording in El Cerrito and Live Oak Studios in Berkeley. The album was produced by Ant Banks, D'Wayne Wiggins, and Too Short, with Ted Bohanon serving as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Ant Banks, D'Wayne Wiggins, Mhisani and Pooh-Man.
The album debuted at number 6 on the US Billboard 200 chart with 82,000 copies sold in its first week.[3] It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on September 18, 1992 and achieved Platinum certification on January 19, 1996.
It was supported with two singles: "I Want to Be Free (That's the Truth)", which peaked at No. 41 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 5 on the Hot Rap Songs, and "In the Trunk", which made it to No. 23 on the Hot Rap Songs. The album's second single "In the Trunk" can be heard in the opening scenes of the 2018 Marvel Comics film Black Panther. The song "So You Want to Be a Gangster" was earlier included in 1991 Juice (soundtrack) and later was featured on the 2013 Grand Theft Auto V in-game radio station 'West Coast Classics'.[4]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro: Shorty the Pimp" | Don Julian | 0:42 | |
| 2. | "In the Trunk" | Too $hort | 5:49 | |
| 3. | "I Ain't Nothin' But a Dog" |
| Ant Banks | 4:49 |
| 4. | "Hoes" | Too $hort | 6:22 | |
| 5. | "No Love From Oakland" |
| Ant Banks | 8:25 |
| 6. | "I Want to Be Free (That's the Truth)" |
| Ant Banks | 5:48 |
| 7. | "Hoochie" (featuring D'Wayne Wiggins) |
| D'Wayne Wiggins | 4:19 |
| 8. | "Step Daddy" |
| Ant Banks | 4:22 |
| 9. | "It Don't Stop" |
| Too $hort | 4:21 |
| 10. | "So You Want to Be a Gangster" |
| Ant Banks | 4:04 |
| 11. | "Something to Ride To" (featuring Ant Banks, Pooh-Man and Mhisani) |
|
| 11:57 |
| 12. | "Extra Dangerous Thanks" |
| Too $hort | 4:19 |
| Total length: | 1:05:15 | |||
- Sample credits
- Track 3 contains samples of "Slow Dance" written and performed by Stanley Clarke and "Cannot Find a Way" written and performed by Curtis Mayfield.
- Track 4 contains a portion of the composition "Take Your Dead Ass Home! (Say Som'n Nasty)" written by George Clinton, Bernie Worrell, Garry Shider and Glenn Goins.
- Track 5 contains a portion of the composition "Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples" written by George Clinton, Garry Shider and William Collins.
- Track 6 contains a sample of "I Want to Be Free" written by James Williams, Clarence Satchell, Leroy Bonner, Marshall Jones, Ralph Meadowbrooks, Marvin Pierce and William Beck and performed by the Ohio Players, and a portion of the composition "Sweet Music, Soft Lights & You" written by Kenneth Williams, Mel Kent, James Ralph Bailey and Isaac Hayes.
- Track 8 contains a sample of "Agony of Defeat" written by Ron Dunbar, George Clinton and Donnie Sterling and performed by Parliament-Funkadelic.
- Track 9 contains a portion of the composition "Pack It Up" written by Louis Crane and Belda Baine.
- Track 10 contains a portion of the composition "Black Frost" written by Grover Washington Jr.
Personnel
edit- Todd "Too $hort" Shaw – vocals, producer (tracks: 2, 4, 9, 11, 12), mixing (tracks: 2, 4, 8)
- D'Wayne Wiggins – vocals & producer (track 7)
- Anthony "Ant" Banks – vocals (track 11), producer (tracks: 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11), mixing (tracks: 2-12)
- Lawrence "Pooh-Man" Thomas – vocals (track 11)
- Mhisani "Goldy" Miller – vocals (track 11)
- Carl Wheeler – keyboards (track 7), piano (track 11)
- Raphael Wiggins – synth-bass (track 7)
- Dale Everingham – recording & mixing (track 7)
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- Ted Bohanon – executive producer
- Victor Hall – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[5] | 6 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[6] | 11 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[7] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Salaam, Mtume. "Shorty the Pimp - Too $hort | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Too Short: Shorty the Pimp". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ Watrous, Peter (July 29, 1992). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ Ducker, Jesse (July 12, 2022). "Rediscover Too $hort's 'Shorty The Pimp' (1992) | Tribute". Albumism. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ "Too hort Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ "Too hort Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ "American album certifications – Too Short – Shorty The Pimp". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
External links
edit- Shorty The Pimp at Discogs (list of releases)