Short Dog's in the House

Short Dog's in the House
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 11, 1990
Recorded1989–90
StudioOne Little Indian Recording, El Cerrito, CA Echo Sound, Los Angeles, California[1]
GenreWest Coast hip hop, G-funk, funk[2]
Length70:36
LabelJive/RCA
ProducerToo Short, Sir Jinx, Pierre "The Beat Fixer" James, Keenan "The Maestro" Foster, Al Eaton, DJ Pooh
Too Short chronology
Life Is...Too Short
(1988)
Short Dog's in the House
(1990)
Shorty the Pimp
(1992)
Singles from Short Dog's in the House
  1. "Short But Funky"
    Released: 1990
  2. "The Ghetto"
    Released: October 8, 1990
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Robert Christgau(choice cut)[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[4]
RapReviews8.5/10[5]

Short Dog's in the House is the sixth studio album by American rapper Too Short. The album was released on September 11, 1990, via Jive Records. The CD contains a number of both socially conscious songs, as well as dirty rap and sexually-explicit songs that have made Too Short famous. The album's production samples a number of classic P-funk records, as well as the heavy use of the Roland TR-808 for instrumentation. The laid-back beats (which Shaw himself dubbed "dope fiend beats") would be a major influence in hip hop years later (and would help cement Too Short's legacy as a pioneer of West coast hip hop), and the album was key in the development of West Coast born G-funk that dominated the charts for the next few years. The album's cover was an influence for the cover art for Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle, just as Too Short's drawl-heavy delivery had influenced Snoop Dogg's vocal style.[7] Upon release, the album received a number of positive reviews, which helped it reach the highest position on the U.S. R&B charts, of any of Too Short's albums, at the time.[8]

The album featured a guest appearance by Ice Cube, and was the first time major rap artists from both Northern and Southern California collaborated on a song. The production of the album was handled mostly by a number of local Oakland-based producers (including Al Eaton, who was also known for his later work with Queen Latifah), but also received production from two of Ice Cube's producers, Sir Jinx and DJ Pooh. The edited version removes two songs and adds the song "What Rap?" On the edited version, "Ain't Nothin' but a Word to Me" was censored with bleep sound effects. Swearing is removed from other songs as well.

  1. ^ "Short Dog's in the House". AllMusic.
  2. ^ "Short Dog's in the House - Too $hort | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Alex Henderson (August 27, 1990). "Short Dog's in the House - Too $hort | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  4. ^ Browne, David (October 19, 1990). "Short Dog's in the House". EW.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  5. ^ "Too $hort :: Short Dog's in the House :: Jive/Zomba". Rapreviews.com. July 5, 2002. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  6. ^ "CG: Too Short". Robert Christgau. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  7. ^ Hess, Mickey (November 2009). Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide - Mickey Hess - Google Books. ISBN 9780313343216. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  8. ^ "Short Dog's in the House". AllMusic.