Shorty the Pimp is the seventh studio album by American rapper Too Short. It was released on July 14, 1992, via Jive Records. The album's title is taken from the 1973 blaxploitation film of the same name, featuring an eponymous character.
The recording sessions took place at One Little Indian Recording in El Cerrito and Live Oak Studios in Berkeley. The album was produced by Ant Banks, D'Wayne Wiggins, and Too Short, with Ted Bohanon serving as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Ant Banks, D'Wayne Wiggins, Mhisani and Pooh-Man.
The album debuted at number 6 on the US Billboard 200 chart with 82,000 copies sold in its first week.[3] It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on September 18, 1992 and achieved Platinum certification on January 19, 1996.
It was supported with two singles: "I Want to Be Free (That's the Truth)", which peaked at No. 41 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 5 on the Hot Rap Songs, and "In the Trunk", which made it to No. 23 on the Hot Rap Songs. The album's second single "In the Trunk" can be heard in the opening scenes of the 2018 Marvel Comics film Black Panther. The song "So You Want to Be a Gangster" was earlier included in 1991 Juice (soundtrack) and later was featured on the 2013 Grand Theft Auto V in-game radio station 'West Coast Classics'.[4]
Track 5 contains a portion of the composition "Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples" written by George Clinton, Garry Shider and William Collins.
Track 6 contains a sample of "I Want to Be Free" written by James Williams, Clarence Satchell, Leroy Bonner, Marshall Jones, Ralph Meadowbrooks, Marvin Pierce and William Beck and performed by the Ohio Players, and a portion of the composition "Sweet Music, Soft Lights & You" written by Kenneth Williams, Mel Kent, James Ralph Bailey and Isaac Hayes.
