Customer Reviews

Short Dog's in the House

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For any fan of hardcore rap, this is the album to buy. Next to Life is...and Shorty the Pimp, this album was the very best of Too Short's career. I was an obsessed Too Short fan in the late 80's and early 90's, and after his second nationwide album (Life Is...) many rumors were being spread around that Too $hort was dead. I personally heard that he died from an overdose. Many believed that Too $hort faked his demise after catching heat over the lyrics in Cusswords referring to first lady Nancy Regan, and that Short had become Ron C, a rapper out of Texas who sounded much like the Oakland Pimp. But any true Short fan could tell that Ron C was NOT the same artist as the legendary self-made platinum king, Short Dog. So when Too $hort came out in 1990 with the album Short Dog's in the House, it was a big relief for us fooled by the rumors of his death. Short even speaks out on the rumors in one of my personal faves of this album, "Dead or Alive." One of the things I loved about the OLD Too Short is the length of his songs, he would rap for 8, 9 or 10 straight minutes, rarely repeating himself, his motto "Don't Stop Rappin'" was true. And the beats...the music was so great. And he also made albums double sided...a cleaner side and a dirty side.
Song review:
1. "Short Dog's in the House"-a funky song, a homage to all of the cities that Short had rocked over the years...he even mentioned my own home town which was always cool to me.
2. "It's Your Life"-a song featured in BOYS N THE HOOD, a powerful bass kick, a preaching song about taking the right path in life.
3. "The Ghetto"-a great single, Short at his positive best, the greatest storyteller of inner city life and struggle. An R & B classic for hip hop.
4. "Short But Funky"-written by an old Oaktown rival Dangerous Dame, this song was just smooth, great flowing lyrics, and rated PG for the kids to play when their mom's around.
5. "In the Oaktown"-Some very clever lyrics, as all the songs on this LP.
6. "Dead or Alive"-Clever, awesome beat, never ends, Too Short is back from the dead!
7. "Punk B***h"-the dirty raps begin, the pimp comes out!
8. "Ain't Nuthin' But a Word to Me"-Duet with the very best rapper in the biz, Ice Cube. Classic hip hop duet, do not miss.
9. "Hard on the Blvd."-One of the hardest, roughest, coolest songs Short has ever done. This is something to ride to.
10. "Pimpology"-Classic Short Dog at his pimpin' best, funny.
11. "Paula & Janet"-the trademark song, as nasty as it gets.
12. "Rap Like Me"-Like an old Jazz man spitting knowledge to the crowd in a dark lounge...Too Short tells us he's the king of slow rap.

I highly recommend this album to any new or Old Too Short fan. I personally feel his new work is lacking the creativity, cleverness and skill that his early work had. He started sounding the same, writing lyrics that were pure smut and predictiable, and had too many guest apperances. After Cocktales, it was a slow death for my love of Too SHort. But I still remember the old days. He deserves respect, to still be on top without any radioplay or exposure on MTV. Buy this record and listen to a real legend on the mic at his best. Also, check out Born to Mack, Life is..., Shorty the Pimp and Get in Where you fit in.

Not only is this a classic, source, xxl, or any of the above. But for the real true hip-hop and rap fans and not these modern day bandwagon jumpers, u understand that old school rap is about not only delivery but a time frame. This record gives you a blueprint of real life hood experiences for people who were actually present from 1984 to 1993. Of course someone who just began or was exposed to rap would think of the new rappers as their foundation it is what you were trying to understand. But these old school rappers are the foundation, take away their deliveries, punchlines, and stories, and you have no hip-hop or rap, give respect to the pioneers who did it for almost next to nothing because it was for the feeling inside and not for what the public expected them to do or be. RECOGNIZE u B*****s!!!!!!

"My 2nd favorite rap album would be Too $hort, Short Dog's In The House"-Nuttso of Oakland's Street Thugs.

Too $hort mastered the science of his craft with this fantastic album. Todd Shaw was a consistent rap artist on a major label from "Born To Mack" up until 1995's "Cocktales". "Short Dog's In The House" is his most focused set of songs with memorable production to back it. There's a diverse range of subject matter such as rumors about his demise, the influence of his independent success, the hardships of ghetto life, pimping 101, and turning two of the late 80's biggest RnB/Pop singers into exploited porn stars,lol. "In The Oaktown" is a funkier, updated version of "Oakland" from the last album.

The only thing that tarnishes this flawless effort a little bit is the last track "Rap Like Me". A new version of "Cusswords" which doesn't work because the beat is mediocre. "Pimpology" would of been a great way to end it. This album came out during an exciting year for Oakland, CA. 1990. MC Hammer, EnVogue, Toni,Tony, Tone, and Pebbles were blowing up the music scene and putting Oaktown on the map. With the exception of skipping the last song, this has all the ingredients that make a classic album. From the great cover art drawing just like "41fivin'", "Doggystyle", and "Makaveli". Consistent music from the beginning to the end, and the timing of the album's release. This is Todd Shaw's greatest musical opus.

This is definitely my favorite Too Scheezy album. It is absolutely perfect; nothing on it needs to be changed. The beats are bumpin', the lyrics are hilarious, and the bass lines are thick. If you only buy one more album in your life, get this one. It includes some of the most sexist songs ever made (a good thing), including "Punk B!@#$" and "Ain't Nuthin' But A Word", with Ice Cube. It also has some songs that deal with racial and social issues such as "It's Your Life" and "The Ghetto". Last but not least, it has the song for every pimp, player, baller, grinda, and mack: "Pimpology." This album has something for every rap fan to enjoy, and if you're a true Short Dog fan, you'll love every song on it.

There are so many great songs on this record, if you don't already own it you're missing out. All the beats bump hard and Shorts droppin knowledge all over this. Its lyrically well-rounded (considering), there's actually a lot more to this than what you may expect from him. Much like Cocktails, it represents Short to the fullest with original raps and dope tracks!

Hard on the Boulevard and argue with me that Too Short wasn't one of the 3 best West Coast rappers of the early 90's.

Together with Shorty the pimp, Short dog's in the house is Too Short's best work. Funky music with x-rated raps. With this album Too Short consolidated his funky sound which already became evident on his Life's...Too Short album. One track on this CD will probably be Short's greatest hit, The Ghetto, it's a remake of a classic soul song. If you're seriously into rap you need this album in your collection. It's an important exponent of Bay Area and West Coast rap, lesser known tha Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle, but just as important. Short can be seen as an importnat influence in rap since his influemce can be seen with artists as Snoop Dogg, Master P to Puff Daddy as he was one of the first to exploit the Mack Daddy Player image.

Short Dawg is one of the mst vulgar rappers you will ever hear and this CD is not for the faint of heart. I enjoy the beats and was lucky enough to come across the clean version of this CD some of the songs (such as the duet with ICE CUBE) have so many vulgarities in them that you cannot even hear the song because of the editing. short dawg always did a clean side and a dirty side to his albums and I always prefered the clean stuff. My favorite song by him to this day is the song "The Ghetto" If you enjoy old school rap and are not easily offended this comes highly recomended.

Too Short has many great hits, but in my opinion, from start to finish, this is his best work ever. This is from someone who has his first 8 major releases and even a couple from when he was slinging tapes out of the trunk of his car. If you claim to be a Too Short fan and don't have this one, you're not really a Too Short fan. If you want some vintage Short Dog this is the one to get.

What I like about Too Short back in the 80's and early 90's was the fact that he had ambition in his rhymes. Believe it or not, every verse he kicks on the songs in his sixth album "Short Dog's In The House", he kicks with confidence. My favorite hit single he as ever made in his career would be "The Ghetto". Short kicks facts of how life is in the streets of Oakland, something that he hardly did in his music. Also "It's Your Life" would be another positive song that he made. If you began listening to Short after his retirement, when you hear this you'll probably won't be used to hearing rhymes like this. I can't forget his pimp game. "Pimpology" would be the breakdown on how to keep a listener's pimp game up. Ice Cube, the only guest appearance on this album would appear on "Ain't Nothin' But A Word To Me"...and you probably know what that word is.

A lot of this material sounds dated, but I'm not mad at it. It reminds me of how rap was back in 1990. The rhymes Short kicked were just simple rhymes about rocking parties and his pimp game. The production on here has a little '90 flavor as well. A lot of these songs were either produced or co-produced by Too Short. Which is actually kind of good. The beat to "Hard On The Boulevard" is dope, made by Short by himself. Other producers are Sir Jinx and DJ Pooh, as well as some of the songs by Pierre "The Beat Fixer" James, Keenan "The Mastero" Foster, and Al Eaton. The latter name would help with Short on "The Ghetto", another beat that I liked, which is good that there is an instrumental of the song on the last track.

Too Short already made a name for himself and help put Oaktown on the map. If you like music from the early 90's, this one I think you will enjoy. It shows Too Short rocking the mic with no fear at all. And whats great about this is this isn't even his best album, so there was more to come after this one.

Lyrics: A-
Production: A
Guest Appearances: A
Musical Vibes: A+
Overall: A

My favorite Tracks: $hort Dog's In The House, Short But Funky, In The Oaktown, Ain't Nothin' But A Word To Me, Pimpology

Personal Favorite Track: The Ghetto
Honorable Mention Track: Rap Like Me

Peace Everyone!!!