Oakland legend Too $hort appeared recently on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast and explained just how long he’s been in the game and revealed that he will never retire.

“Im the big homie” he told Sharpe. “People get at me with all these stats, but I’m the big homie. In these stories and situations, you talk about B.I.G., Pac and all these people. I was platinum when these dudes were in high school and middle school. I was out there livin’ it and kickin it.” For context $hort Dog continues: “Snoop Dogg was in middle school bumpin’ Too $hort. When Jay-Z first got at me (for a feature), I had way more platinum [plaques] and was more established.”

Too $hort drew an analogy to quarterback Tom Brady when speaking of his legacy. “He was playing against quarterbacks that weren’t born when he got to the league.” When asked why he still raps after four decades in the industry, he referenced his 90s "retirement" announcement.

“I do it because once upon a time I announced that I was retiring. I was 30 years old and there was a big promotional push behind ‘Too $hort retiring’, I was on my tenth album at the time and I remember DJ Red Alert saying to me ‘You don’t see jazz musicians retiring or blues. Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson are still on the stage. Why does a rapper have to stop?'” $hort recalls further: “When he said that I never considered retirement again.”

Too $hort recently released “You Sexy Thing” with Lil Duval and his Tiny Desk Concert debuted last month. Too $hort is one fourth of super group Mount Westmore with Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg and E40.