(EDIT: This post belongs to friend/co-worker J.J., whom I have asked to contribute as his time permits. J.J., who has written music for the New Times chain, owns a vast music/pop culture knowledge so I’m pumped for regular – or even semi-regular – posts from him. That said, I’ve added code so you can see who has written what post. OK. Cool.)
The historic road through the hip hop game is littered with one-hit wonders (Tag Team!) and two-trick Pony fans who dwell in the discount bin after their sophomore efforts.
Then there’s Too $hort, who, can claim rap’s longevity title with a career that spans more than 20 years with just as many albums. He’s the George Foreman of heavyweight rappers, complete with tomato can challengers (see: Yukmouth) and plenty o’ grillz.
$hort Dog’s recipe for success is deceptively easy: his laid-back Oaktown drawl sprawled over simple beats with rhymes about the ins and outs of pimpin’.
He’s also remarkably consistent, but rarely spectacular. $hort’s latest single, “This My One,” would fit as perfectly on 1988s “Life Is..” as it would on 2006s “Blow the Whistle”. It doesn’t stray far from $hort’s standard game plan, save for a couple cameos (including E-40), which is what makes it a fitting holiday jam.
It’s comfortable, like a Christmas sweater, but, with lines like, “Ask your mother and your aunties/ smile in my face/ I’ll burn rubber in your panties†not quite cozy enough to share with the entire family.
When $hort Dog’s in the house, you’ve still gotta lock up your daughters.
I’m getting a little more than irritated at how many albums are being rereleased so soon after their original release. It’s one thing to remaster/rerelease an album 20 years old. It’s quite another to reissue an album released in 2006, baiting consumers with the “bonus” material lure.
