Life Is... Too Short
Studio album by
Too Short
ReleasedJanuary 1989[1][2]
GenreHip-hop[2]
Length54:52
Labels
Producers
Too Short chronology
Born to Mack
(1987) 		Life Is... Too Short
(1989) 		Short Dog's in the House
(1990)

Life Is... Too Short (stylized as Life Is... Too $hort) is the fifth album by American rapper Too Short. It was released in 1989 via Dangerous Music and Jive Records.[1][2][3][4][5] It is currently Too Short's highest-selling album, having been certified double Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 2 million copies.

Background

"Don't Fight the Feelin'" samples the 1982 One Way song of the same name.[citation needed]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarStar[2]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album GuideStarStarStarStar[5]
RapReviews7.5/10[6]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarHalf star[4]
The Village VoiceB+[7]

In 2022, Rolling Stone included Life Is... Too Short on their list of "The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time", at No. 186.[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Todd Shaw, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Life Is... Too Short" 4:34
2."Rhymes" 4:17
3."I Ain't Trippin'" 6:41
4."Nobody Does It Better" 6:15
5."Oakland"
4:41
6."Don't Fight the Feelin'" (featuring Danger Zone and Rappin' 4-Tay) 8:18
7."CussWords" 7:44
8."City of Dope"
  • Shaw
  • Eaton
5:31
9."Pimp the Ho" 5:54
10."Outro" 0:59

Personnel

  • T. Bohanon - Producer
  • Al Eaton - Guitar, Keyboards, Producer, Mixing
  • Victor Hall - Photography
  • Helen Kim - Vocals (background)
  • Mr. Z - Clothing/Wardrobe
  • Todd Shaw - Keyboards, Programming, Producer, Drum Programming, Mixing
  • Janna Thomas - Vocals (background)
  • Mark Wholey - Artwork
  • Jeanette Wright - Vocals (background)
  • Rappin' 4-Tay - Performer

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[12] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Contrary to the 1988 copyright date on the album, the following sources refer to January 1989 as the official release date for Life Is... Too Short:
    • "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
    • "Life is ... Too Short /T. Shaw. Detailed Record View". publicrecords.copyright.gov. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Alex Henderson. "Life Is...Too Short Too $hort". AllMusic. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  3. ^ "Too $hort". Trouser Press. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  4. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 711.
  5. ^ a b MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. pp. 568–569.
  6. ^ "Too $hort Life is... Too $hort". RapReviews. May 2, 2003. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  7. ^ Christgau, Robert (June 27, 1989). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  8. ^ "The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  9. ^ "Too Short Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  10. ^ "Too Short Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  11. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 6, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  12. ^ "American album certifications – Too Short – Life Is ... Too Short". Recording Industry Association of America.