By the time
Jive Records
released
Born to Mack
,
Too Short
's major-label debut, the young rapper was already a music industry veteran, having released several albums on the independent
75 Girls
label. With
continued the formula that had already made him a regional star -- sexually explicit lyrics over sparse, bass-heavy rhythm tracks. What is missing from this album, though, is any levity, humor, or musical exploration. Without the benefit of a lyrical wink or nod, and without any sign of his future head-nodding,
funk
workouts,
's trademark "pimp" tales were stripped bare, revealing themselves too misogynist to be enjoyable. Even so, due to the success of the nearly ten-minute, underground smash
"Freaky Tales,"
expanded
's fan base past his Oakland, CA, hometown, eventually selling past gold status. Many of
Short
's later efforts, such as
Life Is...Too Short
and
Shorty the Pimp
were funnier, funkier, and plain better, but
stands as most of the world's introduction to one of
rap
's most enduring, and best-selling, artists ever. ~ Mtume Salaam