Welcome BACK to another edition of Flashback Flyday with your boy Prof. Young Bladez, I took a short hiatus during the swolliday season. This Flyday we are taking it back to ’87, I’m going to get real nostalgic on this one, because this was THE first rap album I ever purchased: West Coast pioneer and bay area native Too $hort, and the album “Born to Mack.”
Todd Anthony Shaw, aka Too $hort, was born in South Central Lost Angeles, California in 1966. His family later relocated to Oakland, California in the early 80’s and the Bay Area movement was born. Originally $hort was on the production side of the table, producing beats he called “special requests” with his high school friend Freddy B. $hort released his first studio album in 1987 entitled Born to Mack on his own label Dangerous Records. The album was later re-released by Jive Records in ’88, where it garnered much controversy due to its explicit sexual lyrics (which by today’s standards would be fairly tame).
I vividly remember buying this album when I was 8 years old. I remember sitting in my room throwing it in my boom box and feeling like I was getting away with something naughty while listening to Freaky Tales. The album is relatively $hort (pun intended), but still a good listen from front to back. So strap up and throw ya belts on kid, here’s #1 on the track listings, Party Time:
[yframe url=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESwdy4ai0MY’]
