Short Dog's in the House

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Short Dog's in the House
Too Short - Short Dog's in the House.jpg
Studio album by
Too Short
ReleasedSeptember 11, 1990
Recorded1989–90
StudioOne Little Indian Recording, El Cerrito, CA Echo Sound, Los Angeles, California [1]
Genre West Coast hip hop, G-funk, funk [2]
Length70:36
Label Jive Records, RCA
Producer Too Short, Sir Jinx, Pierre "The Beat Fixer" James, Keenan "The Maestro" Foster, Al Eaton, DJ Pooh
Too Short chronology
Life Is...Too Short
(1988)		Short Dog's in the House
(1990)		 Shorty the Pimp
(1992)
Singles from Short Dog's in the House
  1. "Short But Funky"
    Released: 1990
  2. "The Ghetto"
    Released: October 8, 1990
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Robert Christgau Scissors icon black.svg [4]
Entertainment Weekly B− [5]
RapReviews8.5/10 [6]

Short Dog's in the House is the sixth studio album by American rapper Too Short. The album was released on September 11, 1990, via Jive Records. The CD contains a number of both socially conscious songs, as well as dirty rap and sexually-explicit songs that have made Too Short famous. The album's production samples a number of classic P-funk records, as well as the heavy use of the Roland TR-808 for instrumentation. The laid-back beats (which Shaw himself dubbed "dope fiend beats") would be a major influence in hip hop years later (and would help cement Too Short's legacy as a pioneer of West coast hip hop), and the album was key in the development of West Coast born G-funk that dominated the charts for the next few years. The album's cover was an influence for the cover art for Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle , just as Too Short's drawl-heavy delivery had influenced Snoop Dogg's vocal style. [7] Upon release, the album received a number of positive reviews, which helped it reach the highest position on the U.S. R&B charts, of any of Too Short's albums, at the time. [8]

Contents

The album featured a guest appearance by Ice Cube, and was the first time major rap artists from both Northern and Southern California collaborated on a song. The production of the album was handled mostly by a number of local Oakland-based producers (including Al Eaton, who was also known for his later work with Queen Latifah), but also received production from two of Ice Cube's producers, Sir Jinx and DJ Pooh. The edited version removes two songs and adds the song "What Rap?" On the edited version, "Ain't Nothin' but a Word to Me" was censored with bleep sound effects. Swearing is removed from other songs as well.

Background and Conception

Too Short had received critical acclaim with his release of Life Is... Too Short , which had transformed the Oakland emcee from an underground rapper to one of the West Coast's most notable faces. The album spawned an album-titled single, which reached #7 on Billboard's 200 Hot Rap Singles, while the album itself peaked at #37 on the Billboard 200.

Prior to the release of the album, there were a number of rumors that Too Short was killed in a crackhouse while smoking cocaine. Too Short released this album partly as a response to those rumors, [9] and the rumors would later be addressed on the song "Dead or Alive".

Part of the direction of the album was influenced by Too Short's real surroundings in Oakland. The early 1990s were the peak of the crack epidemic, and Oakland was one of the hardest-hit cities. The back cover for the album sponsored the Stop the Violence Movement. [10] Too Short released "The Ghetto" as a response to the plight of the inner cities, and the song would go on to receive heavy radio airplay across the United States. Donnie Hathaway's friend Roberta Flack thanked Too Short for honoring Hathaway's single of the same name. [11]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Short Dog's in the House" Todd Anthony Shaw Pierre James6:02
2."It's Your Life"Todd Anthony ShawKeenan Foster4:48
3."The Ghetto"Todd Anthony Shaw, Al Eaton, Donny Hathaway, Leroy Hutson Al Eaton5:02
4."Short But Funky"Dame Edwards, Keenan FosterKeenan Foster4:13
5."In tha Oaktown"Todd Anthony Shaw, Al EatonAl Eaton4:38
6."Dead or Alive"Todd Anthony Shaw Too Short 5:46
7."Punk Bitch"Todd Anthony Shaw, Al EatonToo Short, Al Eaton6:01
8."Ain't Nothin' But a Word to Me" (featuring Ice Cube)Todd Anthony Shaw, O'Shea Jackson, Anthony Wheat Sir Jinx 4:48
9."Hard on the Boulevard"Todd Anthony ShawToo Short6:24
10."Pimpology"Todd Anthony Shaw, Keenan FosterToo Short6:07
11."Paula & Janet"Todd Anthony Shaw DJ Pooh 2:37
12."Rap Like Me"Todd Anthony ShawPierre James, Too Short7:38
13."The Ghetto (Reprise)" (Instrumental) Too Short, Al Eaton5:36
Notes
Samples

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [16] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. ↑ "Short Dog's in the House". AllMusic .
  2. ↑ "Short Dog's in the House - Too $hort | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  3. ↑ Alex Henderson (August 27, 1990). "Short Dog's in the House - Too $hort | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  4. ↑ "CG: Too Short". Robert Christgau. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  5. ↑ Browne, David (October 19, 1990). "Short Dog's in the House". EW.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Too $hort :: Short Dog's in the House :: Jive/Zomba". Rapreviews.com. July 5, 2002. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  7. ↑ Hess, Mickey (November 2009). Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide - Mickey Hess - Google Books. ISBN   9780313343216 . Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Short Dog's in the House". AllMusic .
  9. ↑ Staley, Willy (February 24, 2012). "Too $hort "Dead or Alive" (1990) - Too $hort Breaks Down His 25 Most Essential Songs". Complex. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Rap Music Guide".
  11. ↑ Staley, Willy (February 24, 2012). "Too $hort "The Ghetto" (1990) - Too $hort Breaks Down His 25 Most Essential Songs". Complex. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Too Short Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Too Short Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  14. ↑ "1990 The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 51. December 22, 1990. p. YE-20. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  15. ↑ "1991 The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 51. December 21, 1991. p. YE-17. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  16. ↑ "American album certifications – Too Short – Short Dog's in the House". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved January 7, 2024.
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