Hip Hop has officially entered a new era, and Too $hort is embracing it with the same swagger that’s defined his career for more than 40 years.
The Oakland legend has returned with Sir Too $hort Vol. 2: Drink & Smoke, his 23rd studio album, produced exclusively by longtime collaborator Lil Jon. The project arrives exactly 20 years after the release of “Blow the Whistle,” the platinum selling anthem that became one of the most recognizable records of the 2000s and remains a staple everywhere from NBA arenas to backyard cookouts.
At 60 years old, Too $hort isn’t interested in retirement. If anything, he’s doubling down on proving that Hip Hop’s pioneers still have plenty left in the tank.
Speaking with the Associated Press ahead of the album’s release, $hort reflected on a career that began in Oakland during the early 1980s, when he and longtime friend Freddy B sold homemade cassette tapes straight from the trunk of a car before independent rap was even considered a viable business model. What started as a neighborhood hustle eventually evolved into one of the most influential careers in West Coast Hip Hop history.
“I’ve always said the day hip hop is no longer my job is probably the day I’ll stop,” Too $hort said. “But the love I have for hip hop won’t allow me to stop recording.”
That mentality has made him one of rap’s most enduring figures. From Born to Mack and Life Is… Too $hort to Short Dog’s in the House, Get In Where You Fit In and Gettin’ It (Album Number Ten), Too $hort helped establish the Bay Area’s unmistakable sound while influencing generations of artists with his conversational flow, unapologetic player persona and entrepreneurial mindset.
His latest effort reunites him with Lil Jon, one of the architects behind some of the duo’s biggest records, including “Blow the Whistle” and “Shake That Monkey.” Their chemistry helped bridge Bay Area game with Southern crunk, producing records that still move crowds nearly two decades later.
The album’s lead single, “Drink & Smoke,” featuring fellow Bay Area icon E 40 and Tyga, also carries added emotional weight. The record was produced by Lil Jon alongside his late son, DJ Young Slade, whose contributions remain woven throughout the project. Too $hort said participating in the album became an opportunity to help preserve Slade’s musical legacy following his passing earlier this year.
Rather than slowing down, Too $hort believes Hip Hop is finally reaching the point where its pioneers can age the same way legends in jazz, blues and R&B have for decades.
“Who laid the rule down that in hip hop you gotta stop at 40?” he asked. “Now we got senior citizen rappers, and this is real. Hip hop is entering the place where jazz, blues and R&B have older artists who are still performing and recording. We should too.”
He’s not alone. Alongside contemporaries like E 40, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and the Mount Westmore movement, Too $hort continues to prove that longevity is no longer the exception in Hip Hop. Earlier this year, he and E 40 represented the Bay Area during the NFL Honors festivities, reminding audiences that the culture’s pioneers remain as relevant as ever.
For Too $hort, Sir Too $hort Vol. 2: Drink & Smoke isn’t simply another album. It’s another chapter in a career that has outlasted nearly every trend the music industry has thrown at him. More importantly, it’s a reminder that Hip Hop’s architects aren’t ready to hand over the keys just yet.
Forty years after selling tapes on East Oakland street corners, Too $hort is still doing what he loves. And judging by his latest collaboration with Lil Jon, the West Coast legend has no plans to put down the microphone anytime soon.
