by Jesse Cameron Alick

Every time a rapper, comedian or 17 year old kid on a corner in Brooklyn pronounces the word “bitch” as “beeatch” they are paying homage to this titan of hip hop: Too $hort

photo by Ando Nesia from his recent show at White Walls

While it might be remiss to say that inventing the popular pronunciation of a cuss word is Too $hort’s biggest achievement, it does bring up the question – What is the thought that goes through the mind of every artist before they fall asleep at night? “Has anything I created made any sort of difference in this world?” Well Too $hort can cross that question off his list, the lion sleeps in East Oakland tonight; sleep the sleep of saints brother.

Too $hort has worked with everyone from Biggy to Snoop to Jay Z, east coast, west coast, who doesn’t know this guy? You wanna know how hip hop became a movement that has been able to survive the changing winds of time, politics and fashion? Look at Too $hort for your answer. He might tell you that just cause you’re intelligent, doesn’t mean you can’t be hard, just cause you’re reflective doesn’t mean you can’t keep it real. You can be a pimp and a player, an artist and a philosopher. You can have it all. I mean, why not? To quote the poet: “Life is too short, would you agree?”