What's My Favorite Word?
label: jive

producers: too short, lil jon, ant banks, others.
guests: ugk, twista, roger troutman jr., lil jon & the eastside boyz, e-40, devin the dude, big gipp, dwayne wiggins, others.
year of release: 2002
website: younasty.com
 
Attention, another back in the days ranting ahead. But the albums you listen to nowadays lack a continues feel. And you miss that. They lack a vibe that is so recognizable that album, that whenever you hear one track, you know where it belongs to. Or how about a style of an artist. Nowadays, they all are working with the same producers that everyone else works with, that make the same kind of beat for them as they did for the other cat. That's a compilation by one artist, more than a true album. And it prevents you from hearing a song, and you knowing that this song is from that artist.
Not Too $hort though. When his name is on it, you know what's in it. And that you like or that you don't. And while he does slowly progress, or change things, his name is still equaling a style and a vibe. What makes his albums continuous and in their own kind of way good.
So no surprises here, well, maybe besides the more musical, and less gritty funk approach. What in a way makes his music more accessible for a cross over crowd, but at the same time not actually crossed over. Despite the female crooning (by Dorian Hardnett and Shanell Woodgett) on a "Triple X" or "That's Right" giving $hort a much smoother sound. Part of this change might be due to Ant Banks being absent from the production tip (he mixed the album though), with the exception of "Cali-O", where E-40, B-Legit, Ant Banks and Dwayne Wiggins lend their voices to the song, and Ant his talents to the beat.

tracklisting
1. Triple X
2. Get That Cheese feat. Roger Troutman, Jr.
3. That's Right
4. The Old Fashioned Way
5. Quit Hatin' Pt. 1 feat. Twista, V. White, Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz
6. Quit Hatin' Pt. 2 feat. Pimp C of UGK, Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz
7. Lollypops

8. Female Players
9. Cali-O feat. E-40, B-Legit, Ant Banks & Dwayne Wiggin
10. Pimp Life feat. Devin The Dude, Bun B of UGK, Big Gipp
11. Call It Gangster feat. Petey Pablo & Dolla Will
12. Set Up
13. She Loves Her
14. The Move feat. George Clinton, Belita Wood
There's however also cases where the sound gets rowdy, like on "Quit Hatin' Pt. 1" and "Quit Hatin' Pt. 2". The beats were both done by Lil Jon, but they are different on the one and the other (with Part 2 being slower and more elaborate and more to our liking). The guest appearances are also different, with Twista, V. White and Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz being on part one and Pimp C of UGK, Lyfe and Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz being on part two. Too $hort seems to enjoy the company of several guests, as the nasty "Pimp Life" has him team up with Devin The Dude, Bun B of UGK and Big Gipp. The music is slow and funky, fitting the game chatting well. The next big name guest is Petey Pablo on "Call It Gangster" that also features Dolla Will and another rough Lil Jon production. And also not to miss is the George Clinton collaboration "The Movie", that further features a Macy Gray sound alike Belita Woods.
There's no need to really say anything about the lyrics, that still speak about the same things: money, women and everything that the one can get and the other wants. And sometimes how to get either of the two. Like on "Get That Cheese" that features an uplifting beat, that will be played in a quality club in no time. "Lollypops" is accompanied by a minimalist beat and speaks about the regular nasty rhetoric. And what's usually a two people sport features an extra on "She Loves Her", and may it just be in spirit, while $hort is turning her female lover out. Finally on "Female Players" there's even a certain amount of pride and self-consciousness attributed to the usually victimized other sex.
So what's the number now? Fourteen? Well, with fourteen albums already to his credit, Too $hort finally gets a little calmer on this record. He has always been smooth, but on here, he sounds like a veteran that has his puppy days behind him. What is obviously like it is. And what will sound better to a lot of new people, it will hardly disappoint the old fans. Cause Too $hort is Too $hort and we don't want him to be anything else.
review: tadah
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