Too $hort dropped his newest album SIR TOO $HORT, VOL. 1 – FREAKY TALES with features from hip-hop heavyweights like Snoop Dogg, Larry June, King George and more as well as production by longtime collaborator Ant Banks and contributions from Jazze Pha. The complete album is now available to stream HEREvia EMPIRE.
The album’s 14 tracks serve as a testament to $hort’s legendary status both in the industry and the streets, said in the title track “We was good in every hood, every block, every corner, anywhere we stood. It’s no problem.” The album stays true to that classic West Coast sound while still offering a diverse listening experience with tracks like “Pick a Side” with Jazze Pha, Snoop Dogg and Rexx Life Raj bringing out a welcomed R&B vibe, while “Pimpin’ Like Kenny Red” brings the energy with verses from Larry June and BossLife Big Spence.
With SIR TOO $HORT, VOL. 1 – FREAKY TALES, $hort earns the unique distinction of becoming the only active hip-hop artist to have released an album in five different decades, showcasing his unprecedented longevity as he approaches 59 years of age.
The release comes after last week’s single “Still Mackin,” which acted as an introduction to the project. Too $hort returned with his signature “B**tch” ad-lib over what he describes as an “Oakland beat,” heavy with synths and base.
$hort continues to be a pioneer in more ways than one. Tapping into the tech space, he is seamlessly bridging AI and music promotion with a new initiative in collaboration with Wonder Studios to create outstanding visuals that previously would have been too expensive, or even impossible to produce. The technology brings back to the future a 1980’s Too $hort which you can watch hereand here. The next visual for his track “Pick A Side” will be released today. Wonder Studios just raised $3M, further proving how Too $hort successfully manages to stay on top of what’s next.
Too $hort has also been expanding his star power into the film industry with his other latest project, Freaky Tales, serving as both an executive producer and narrator. The highly anticipated film, which opened in theaters on April 4th, was filmed in Oakland and follows four vastly different interconnecting stories set in 1987. Inspired by his iconic song “Freaky Tales” from the album Born to Mack, the film stars Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, singer Normani in her film debut, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, Ji-young Yoo and Angus Cloud.
Furthermore, Too $hort announced that he is now a co-owner of the Oakland Ballers, a new independent professional baseball team that launched in 2024 and plays at the historic Raimondi Park in West Oakland.
The sports world is seeing even more of $hort, having also just performed at the 2025 NBA All-Star Game half-time show in San Francisco where he took to the court to rap his anthem, “Blow The Whistle” alongside DJ Cassidy, E-40, Saweetie and En Vogue in a tribute to the Bay Area.
$hort has solidified his status as a hip-hop icon and pioneer of West Coast rap, having amassed six platinum albums with smash songs like “Blow the Whistle,” “Shake That Monkey,” “The Ghetto,” and “Gettin It.” He also boasts the distinction of being the only artist in history to have collaborated with Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G. and JAY-Z and is a part of the hip-hop supergroup Mount Westmore comprised of Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and E-40.
