West Coast rap is forever indebted to Los Angeles-born, Oakland-bred rap star Too Short, who is credited with being the first rap artist to come out of the left coast. Before assuming his stage name, Too Short was born Todd Shaw in 1966 in Los Angeles ‘hood South Central. Upon his move to the Bay in the early ‘80s, Too Short began selling mix tapes from the trunk of his car. The ambitious rap artist recorded three albums himself before being snatched up by local label 75 Girls. His first studio album, 1983's Don't Stop Rappin', was followed by three subsequent albums released in just two years. Too Short formed his own music label with friend Freddy B.; the rapper released his 1986 album Back to Mack under his own Dangerous Music label.Sales from Back to Mack scorched the Bay area, selling over 50,000 copies and securing a deal from national label great Jive Records just one year after the album dropped. Despite being largely a regional phenomenon, Back to Mack went gold and was followed up by platinum album Life Is...Too Short in 1989. After a slow ascent to the national rap charts, Too Short's 1990 album Short Dog's in the House came equipped with the radio-ready hit "The Ghetto," which made it to number 12 on the R&B charts. Too Short released two platinum records, 1992's Shorty the Pimp and 1993's Get in Where You Fit In, before releasing 1995's Cocktails amidst a sea of Too Short copycats. Too Short retired from the rap game 1996, only to return three years later with an album tellingly titled Can't Stay Away. Too Short's return to rap was welcome, and Can't Stay Away debuted in the top 10 and let the industry know that the original West Coast rap artist is here to stay.