Life Is… Too Short (stylized as Life Is… Too $hort) is the fifth album by American rapper Too Short. It was released in 1988 or early 1989 via Dangerous Music and Jive Records.[1][2][3][4][5] It appeared as a Dangerous Music/RCA Records release until Jive Records issued the album on October 25, 1990, after it became successful. 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.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide |  [5] |
| RapReviews | 7.5/10[6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [4] |
| The Village Voice | B+[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. | Title | Writer(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” |
| 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
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[12] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d Alex Henderson. “Life Is…Too Short Too $hort”. AllMusic. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ “Too $hort”. Trouser Press. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
- ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 711.
- ^ a b MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. pp. 568–569.
- ^ “Too $hort Life is… Too $hort”. RapReviews. May 2, 2003. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (June 27, 1989). “Consumer Guide”. The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ “The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time”. Rolling Stone. June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ “Too Short Chart History (Billboard 200)“. Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- ^ “Too Short Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)“. Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- ^ “Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1989”. Billboard. Archived from the original on December 6, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
- ^ “American album certifications – Too Short – Life Is … Too Short”. Recording Industry Association of America.
