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Life Is... Too Short

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Life Is... Too Short
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 1989[1][2]
GenreHip-hop[2]
Length54:52
Label
Producer
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

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

Critical reception

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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

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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

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  • 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

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Certifications

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

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 4 Alex Henderson. "Life Is...Too Short Too $hort". AllMusic. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  3. "Too $hort". Trouser Press. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  4. 1 2 The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 711.
  5. 1 2 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.