1988 is one of rap music’s most celebrated years. Albums by Public Enemy, Ice T, EPMD, NWA, Big Daddy Kane, Eric B & Rakim and Boogie Down Productions dominated the landscape and a new video show called Yo! MTV Raps beamed rap videos into American homes. The west coast had been releasing rap music since the early 1980’s from artists like Disco Daddy & Captain Rapp, as well as electro rap songs by The World Class Wreckin’ Cru and Ice T, but had failed to make much noise outside of a few regions. Ice T’s 1986 single “6 In The Mornin’" and  N.W.A.’s "Dope Man" from 1987 broke through and made noise on a bigger scale right before rap’s big year.

Because New York has a considerable lead over the rest of the world in creating and distributing rap records, the assumption by many has historically been than other regions weren’t making music and distributing it in their respective regions. New York’s stranglehold on the rap industry started to loosen considerably by the late 1980’s when other regions signed major record deals and/or acquired major distribution for their independent labels. Even Philadelphia which is a stone's throw from New York didn’t fully receive the respect of many New Yorkers until collectives like The Hilltop Hustlers which included Steady B, Cool C and 3 Times Dope started to flood the market with releases.

Major label Jive Records was notorious for partnering with independent labels and cutting joint deals. Artists such as Schooly D, E-40, UGK, Steady B and Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince are all examples of artists outside of New York who formed independent labels, and made joint deals with Jive for promotion and distribution. Add to that list Oakland MC Too $hort. Inspired by first generation rap recording artists like Spoonie Gee and Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5, Short began rapping in the early 1980’s with his partner Anthony Adams aka Freddy B. Too $hort made custom tapes and sold them on his own before recording his first album on 75 Girls Records and Tapes – a small Oakland label.

$hort released the singles “Girl (Cocaine)”, “Playboy Short" and “Whip It” before releasing his first full length album Don’t Stop Rappin’ in 1985. In 1987 Too $hort released two more full length albums on 75 Girls. Players and Raw, Uncut and X-Rated chronicled the Oakland underbelly of crime, drugs and prostitution. In 1988 he released the albums Born To Mack and Life Is… both on Ant Banks’ Dangerous Music. Even with five full albums under his name, Too $hort was still largely a regional artist outside of some of his custom tapes like “Blow Job Betty” and others traveling outside of Oakland. By 1989 both Born To Mack and Life Is… were being distributed by Jive Records after Too $hort reportendiy sold more than 50,000 copies of Born To Mack out of his trunk.

Life Is… greatly benefitted from the 1988 debut of Yo! MTV Raps. The video for “Life Is…” received heavy rotation on the show, beaming Too $hort into American living rooms. The success of west coast artists like Eazy E, The D.O.C., N.W.A., CPO, Breeze, Ice T and M.C. Hammer at the end of the 1980’s coincided with the success of Too $hort and his major label affiliation created a perfect storm that put a deserving west coast into the national rap conversation. MTV's airing of the aforementioned artists videos and their on camera interviews gave the rest of the country and the world a glimpse into the previously unknown west coast rap culture.

The live instrumentation on $horts music was in contrast to the sample heavy production of his east coast and L.A. contemporaries. Bay Area artist and radio personality Sway Calloway spoke to ROCK THE BELLS recently about the origins of the Bay area sound. "To me, Bay Area Hip-Hop is an extension of R&B and soul with different variants of street," he explained. "It's soul mixed with technology and so it's really about where you're from, your region, and what inspired you. Sly and the Family Stone, a Bay Area group, was a heavy influence on us. From songs like 'Everyday People,' to the way they played their bass and mixed their drums influenced us." Hiero member Del The Funky Homosapien echoed Sway's sentiments about the influence of other genres. "The Bay is famous for musical breakthroughs, like the summer of love type thing, rock music, we got the Fillmore up here, Sly and the Family Stone, Graham Central Station, The Headhunters, Herbie Hancock, Tower of Power. The sound is funky and soulful, and in Hip Hop, it's funky, but stripped down. That became popular across the country."

Life Is... remains one of Too $horts most celebrated and successful albums. It was certified double Platinum and peaked at number 37 on the US Billboard 200 and number 9 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Top Album chart.