I found this on the net, I haven't seen it on here so i thought i'd post it, its pretty interesting, $hort adresses some cool issues.
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Your latest album, "What’s My Favorite Word?" is your 11th studio release, not counting greatest hits albums and compilations. What’s the significance of the new album to you?
It represents, to me, the best work I’ve done in probably the last five years. And I’m just really eager to get this album out because it’s just another milestone in my legacy as far as my achievements and stuff. To say this is the 14th album (overall) is saying a lot. I plan on doing 15 and 16 and just keeping going.
What makes you say that your newest album is one of the best ones you’ve done in five years?
Well, just the fact that there’s more of a balance. The last couple albums were kind of on the explicit side. I kind of toned it down a little bit on this one and did it in the fashion of some of the older albums where you’d find extremely explicit songs, but then you’d find
songs that were free of curse words and stuff. I just toned it down a little bit. The music is still the same flavor and whatnot. I’m trying to hold up the Bay Area sound and the way we do things out in the Bay and basically make it so the rest of the world can enjoy it too.
So your goal was to make "What’s My Favorite World?" a more universally acceptable album?
Not necessarily in the sound. I’m just growing, man, as an artist. You say, ‘The guy did so much. How can he continue to grow?’ But there’s still room. I still find ways to challenge myself and set new goals for what I want to do. Basically, I challenge myself to continue this career for as long as possible.
In terms of being a veteran and sustaining a successful career for many years, I see you as being to the West Coast what LL Cool J has been on the East Coast. What keeps you motivated and why do you still enjoy the same career you’ve had since you were 14?
It’s probably just the fact that I get so much feedback from my fans saying, ‘Don’t stop. Keep giving us more albums, more songs.’ And people keep calling, saying they want to work with you and they want to do this and that. So basically, it’s by popular demand. I just keep going. I’m still signed to a major contract. I still get a lot of money every time
I make an album. That’s the way it is.
Insane Clown Posse and Kid Rock had record deals with Jive in the ’90s and they have said the deals went really badly. But then you have rappers like you and E-40 who seem happy with your deals with Jive. What do you make of that?
Well, at first I had a pretty shitty contract. But then I renegotiated a couple times and I got it to where I want to be. You’re never really satisfied with your label, no matter what label you’re on. You could be on an independent label, you could be on the biggest label in the world, and you always have differences with the company you work for. I just stay focused on making records and handling my business as far as continuously being able to have a roof and food to eat and all the things that are necessary in life. I’m not 100 percent satisfied with Jive Records at all times, but I’ve never been to the point where I’m like ‘I hate Jive.’ It’s not even like a love-hate relationship. It’s more like a long-term marriage. We’re just wedged together.
What are some of the benefits you’ve enjoyed from working with Jive? What has made you stay with the label all these years? And what are some of the drawbacks?
I think the main advantage has probably always been the main disadvantage. You’re not dealing with a corporation. You’re dealing with a company that’s owned by one person. And there’s not a lot of say so going on around here. The decision-makers have always been few and you can actually get them on the phone and talk to them. If there’s some kind of issue, like a real issue of money or something that you need to take place with some type of urgency, you can get at that person. You can get them to write you a check tomorrow if it was a situation where that was supposed to happen. On the other side, being that there are so few people who call shots around Jive Records, that could work to your disadvantage. You might need some opinions of people who you feel think on the same lines as you. And, at that time, you might feel that the people who call shots at Jive don’t share those opinions with you, so why should they make those decisions. You don’t really have a board of directors to go to or a chain of command. You just have these few people who say it is or it isn’t. That’s just how it is. So it works for you and works against you.
Your album title, "What’s My Favorite Word?" is of course referring to the word "Biiiiiitch!!!" Why is that your favorite word?
That is something that I incorporated into my live performances many years ago. It would be my way of saying goodbye to the crowd, just my farewell, the last thing I say. I’d say, ‘Before I go, tell me, what’s Too $hort’s favorite word?’ And everybody knows the answer. So I had been saving that title for years and years. When I finally did the Too $hort greatest hits, Too $hort anthology, Too $hort boxed set, I was gonna name it ‘What’s My Favorite Word?’ But I decided since this is the last studio album that I’m doing with Jive Records, I said I’d name this album that. The word, personally in my life, me, myself – no, it’s not my favorite word. But when I’m in character and I’m doing my Too $hort thing, ‘Biiiiiitch!!!’ is my favorite word. I use it throughout the show, I use it throughout the albums, I use it to be mean to women, I use it to be nice to women.
How can you use the word "Biiiiiitch!!!" to be nice to women?
Well, I think it’s the way you look at them, it’s the tone of voice you use and the way you use it in the sentence. It could be a compliment at times. An example is ‘You are a boss bitch.’ She’s running things, so boss bitch. She oughtta be able to say, ‘Damn right, I am’ instead of saying ‘Who you callin a bitch?’ I can say, ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are the baddest bitch I’ve ever seen in my life.’ And she could take it the wrong way if she wants to, but a lot of times they don’t.
At different points in your career, have people taken you the wrong way or your music the wrong way?
The biggest misconception about me is that I’m Too $hort 24 hours a day and that I would even want to be that way. I have that debate with people from time to time. Like, ‘Well, if you’re not that way, why would you rap about it?’ I mean, it’s profitable. That’s why. It’s been a hell of a business being Too $hort. It’s over a hundred million dollar entity. There must be something OK about it. It’s not something that I feel ashamed about. But, at the same time, it is a character that I made up and I do not portray it when I’m not working.
Could you describe Too $hort the character versus Todd Shaw the person?
I mean, the best way that I could put it is that me, Todd, I made up Too $hort. So if that’s my alter-ego, if that’s a part of me – whatever you want to call it – I just made it up. So nothing that’s Too $hort really represents me as a person and I don’t really put Todd Shaw in my Too $hort because I keep them separate. Personality-wise, I don’t act like Too $hort. That’s not how I act. I don’t call women out their name and disrespect them. I just don’t do that.
_________________________
Your latest album, "What’s My Favorite Word?" is your 11th studio release, not counting greatest hits albums and compilations. What’s the significance of the new album to you?
It represents, to me, the best work I’ve done in probably the last five years. And I’m just really eager to get this album out because it’s just another milestone in my legacy as far as my achievements and stuff. To say this is the 14th album (overall) is saying a lot. I plan on doing 15 and 16 and just keeping going.
What makes you say that your newest album is one of the best ones you’ve done in five years?
Well, just the fact that there’s more of a balance. The last couple albums were kind of on the explicit side. I kind of toned it down a little bit on this one and did it in the fashion of some of the older albums where you’d find extremely explicit songs, but then you’d find
songs that were free of curse words and stuff. I just toned it down a little bit. The music is still the same flavor and whatnot. I’m trying to hold up the Bay Area sound and the way we do things out in the Bay and basically make it so the rest of the world can enjoy it too.
So your goal was to make "What’s My Favorite World?" a more universally acceptable album?
Not necessarily in the sound. I’m just growing, man, as an artist. You say, ‘The guy did so much. How can he continue to grow?’ But there’s still room. I still find ways to challenge myself and set new goals for what I want to do. Basically, I challenge myself to continue this career for as long as possible.
In terms of being a veteran and sustaining a successful career for many years, I see you as being to the West Coast what LL Cool J has been on the East Coast. What keeps you motivated and why do you still enjoy the same career you’ve had since you were 14?
It’s probably just the fact that I get so much feedback from my fans saying, ‘Don’t stop. Keep giving us more albums, more songs.’ And people keep calling, saying they want to work with you and they want to do this and that. So basically, it’s by popular demand. I just keep going. I’m still signed to a major contract. I still get a lot of money every time
I make an album. That’s the way it is.
Insane Clown Posse and Kid Rock had record deals with Jive in the ’90s and they have said the deals went really badly. But then you have rappers like you and E-40 who seem happy with your deals with Jive. What do you make of that?
Well, at first I had a pretty shitty contract. But then I renegotiated a couple times and I got it to where I want to be. You’re never really satisfied with your label, no matter what label you’re on. You could be on an independent label, you could be on the biggest label in the world, and you always have differences with the company you work for. I just stay focused on making records and handling my business as far as continuously being able to have a roof and food to eat and all the things that are necessary in life. I’m not 100 percent satisfied with Jive Records at all times, but I’ve never been to the point where I’m like ‘I hate Jive.’ It’s not even like a love-hate relationship. It’s more like a long-term marriage. We’re just wedged together.
What are some of the benefits you’ve enjoyed from working with Jive? What has made you stay with the label all these years? And what are some of the drawbacks?
I think the main advantage has probably always been the main disadvantage. You’re not dealing with a corporation. You’re dealing with a company that’s owned by one person. And there’s not a lot of say so going on around here. The decision-makers have always been few and you can actually get them on the phone and talk to them. If there’s some kind of issue, like a real issue of money or something that you need to take place with some type of urgency, you can get at that person. You can get them to write you a check tomorrow if it was a situation where that was supposed to happen. On the other side, being that there are so few people who call shots around Jive Records, that could work to your disadvantage. You might need some opinions of people who you feel think on the same lines as you. And, at that time, you might feel that the people who call shots at Jive don’t share those opinions with you, so why should they make those decisions. You don’t really have a board of directors to go to or a chain of command. You just have these few people who say it is or it isn’t. That’s just how it is. So it works for you and works against you.
Your album title, "What’s My Favorite Word?" is of course referring to the word "Biiiiiitch!!!" Why is that your favorite word?
That is something that I incorporated into my live performances many years ago. It would be my way of saying goodbye to the crowd, just my farewell, the last thing I say. I’d say, ‘Before I go, tell me, what’s Too $hort’s favorite word?’ And everybody knows the answer. So I had been saving that title for years and years. When I finally did the Too $hort greatest hits, Too $hort anthology, Too $hort boxed set, I was gonna name it ‘What’s My Favorite Word?’ But I decided since this is the last studio album that I’m doing with Jive Records, I said I’d name this album that. The word, personally in my life, me, myself – no, it’s not my favorite word. But when I’m in character and I’m doing my Too $hort thing, ‘Biiiiiitch!!!’ is my favorite word. I use it throughout the show, I use it throughout the albums, I use it to be mean to women, I use it to be nice to women.
How can you use the word "Biiiiiitch!!!" to be nice to women?
Well, I think it’s the way you look at them, it’s the tone of voice you use and the way you use it in the sentence. It could be a compliment at times. An example is ‘You are a boss bitch.’ She’s running things, so boss bitch. She oughtta be able to say, ‘Damn right, I am’ instead of saying ‘Who you callin a bitch?’ I can say, ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are the baddest bitch I’ve ever seen in my life.’ And she could take it the wrong way if she wants to, but a lot of times they don’t.
At different points in your career, have people taken you the wrong way or your music the wrong way?
The biggest misconception about me is that I’m Too $hort 24 hours a day and that I would even want to be that way. I have that debate with people from time to time. Like, ‘Well, if you’re not that way, why would you rap about it?’ I mean, it’s profitable. That’s why. It’s been a hell of a business being Too $hort. It’s over a hundred million dollar entity. There must be something OK about it. It’s not something that I feel ashamed about. But, at the same time, it is a character that I made up and I do not portray it when I’m not working.
Could you describe Too $hort the character versus Todd Shaw the person?
I mean, the best way that I could put it is that me, Todd, I made up Too $hort. So if that’s my alter-ego, if that’s a part of me – whatever you want to call it – I just made it up. So nothing that’s Too $hort really represents me as a person and I don’t really put Todd Shaw in my Too $hort because I keep them separate. Personality-wise, I don’t act like Too $hort. That’s not how I act. I don’t call women out their name and disrespect them. I just don’t do that.
