The Mack of the Century...Too Short's Greatest Hits
compiles select highlights from the Oakland rapper's 13-album output for
Jive Records
. The selections span three decades, from 1988 to 2003, leaning heavily upon
Too Short
's late-'80s/early-'90s prime, including such memorable songs from this era as
"Freaky Tales,"
"Dope Fiend Beat,"
"Life Is...Too Short,"
"I Ain't Trippin',"
"Short But Funky,"
"The Ghetto,"
"In the Trunk,"
"I'm a Player,"
and
"Blowjob Betty."
There's a noticeable de-emphasis on what followed, however. From 1995 onward,
The Mack of the Century..
. includes only four songs:
"Cocktales"
(1995),
"Gettin' It"
(1996),
"Burn Rubber"
(2003), and
"Choosin'"
(2003). This approach certainly doesn't result in a balanced summary of
's career to date, yet it does ensure that
. showcases a lot of the rapper's prime work (as featured on the albums
Born to Mack
,
Life Is...Too Short
Short Dog's in the House
, and
Shorty the Pimp
) at the expense of his latter-day output, which was less successful as well as less popular. [There is also a clean version of the album available.] ~ Jason Birchmeier