Todd Anthony Shaw, a.k.a. “Too $hort,” appears as one of the rapper mentors in the MTV reality television competition series Celebrity Rap Superstar. His celebrity apprentice on the show is
Kendra Wilkinson . He is an American rapper who was born on April 28, 1966 in Los Angeles, California. He adopted the stage name Too $hort and began his musical career in Oakland, California when he was 17 years old. He is said to be one of the first sources of the West Coast hip-hop sound, utilizing drum beats from LinnDrum, TR-808 and TR-909 in his early works. He began using funk riffs instead of samples in his beats with his 1989 release Life Is… Too $hort.
During the early 80s, Shaw collaborated with his high school friend Freddie B. and made custom raps for people. During the mid-80s, the two of them formed and managed the Dangerous Music record label, changing names later on to $hort Records and then Up All Night Music. Shaw has also collaborated on subsequent albums with the likes of Puff Daddy, Jermaine Dupri, Soopafly, and Scarface. One of his songs titled “The Ghetto” was featured in the popular yet controversial video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and apart from producing music, he has also worked occasionally for the adult film industry.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images/MTV)