Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966 in South Los Angeles, California), b… Read Full Bio ↴Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966 in South Los Angeles, California), better known by his stage name Too $hort, is an American rapper and actor. He is considered the forefather of hip-hop in Oakland and the Bay Area, California. Through his music, Too $hort has cultivated a persona of a no-nonsense pimp, and is widely credited for popularizing pimp culture in hip hop, along with Snoop Dogg, Ice-T and Slick Rick. In 1983, Too $hort released his first album, Don't Stop Rappin', and he has since released sixteen more albums with each experiencing average sales of around 600,000 copies in the United States alone.