DOCUMENTARY ON OAKLAND LEGEND TOO $HORT IS RELEASED ON DVD

Too $hort: Life I$ is a provocative, revealing documentary that goes behind the dirty raps of hip-hop pioneer Too $hort, chronicling in vivid detail his legendary rise to prominence and exposing some nasty trials and tribulations he faced along the way.

You think you know Too $hort. Yeah, hes a player that was born to mack and he tells those freaky tales so well. But really you have no idea. Unlike any other film on the legendary MC, Life I$ . . . The Life and Times of Todd Shaw, executive produced by Shorts childhood partna and fellow artist Dwayne Wiggins (of Tony Toni Toné.) The 90 minute film is a provocative, revealing documentary that goes behind the dirty raps of hip-hop pioneer Too $hort, chronicling in vivid detail his legendary rise to prominence and exposing some nasty trials and tribulations he faced along the way. Consider it a rare glimpse into the wild Cadillac ride of a real rap legend who - like todays top dog sensation 50 Cent - built his buzz from the ground up as a genuine street phenomenon. Only he did it nearly 20 years ago.

Taking second place in San Franciscos Black Film Festival this year, Life I$ . . . features never before seen performances along with candidly revealing and often very funny interviews with $hort Dog himself, fellow artists like Chuck D, E-40, Money B (Digital Underground) and the Luniz, industry insiders like Sway (Wake Up Show/MTV) and journalists Davey D and Danyel Smith. With a structured narrative, tight editing, and of course a stellar soundtrack, Life I$ . . . raises the bar for urban documentaries.

Listening to the ghetto observations and social commentary found in Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five songs like The Message," Too $hort was inspired as a young teen in the 80s to tell the stories of Oakland, California street life through rap classics like Freaky Tales" and the Life Is Too $hort album. Connecting dots between the Bay Area towns political activists and musicians like Sly and the Family Stone and yes, even Too $hort, Davey D says in the documentary, You have the city that gave you the Black Panthers that had this rich cultural legacy and you have people that in my opinion never really followed anybody elses trend." Too $hort certainly set his own trends, emerging from a vibrant Bay Area music scene that at the time included Digital Underground, MC Hammer, En Vogue, and Tony Toni Toné.

Life I$ . . . traces the journey from his old school days with rap-battle-opponent-turned-rap-partner Freddy B, selling personalized Special Request" tapes out of the trunk, to his music industry hard lessons learned with 75 Girls and Dangerous Music, and finally to his platinum success with Jive Records. But once the notoriously raunchy rapper is crowned king of the Bay, controversy unfolds and rocks are thrown at the throne. Life I$ slices up and serves the untold real deal concerning the beef between $hort and Oaktown young bucks The Luniz (of I Got 5 On It" fame) that reached a violent climax at KMELs Summer Jam concert. The documentary also dispels the greatly overstated reports of his demise in a crackhouse, and explains the real reason why $hort Dog moved to Atlanta.

Like whats going on in the music business today, the film industry is going back to the independent structure," notes executive producer Wiggins, whose Grass Roots Entertainment (http:// www.grassrootsentertainment.com) will also release films Me & Mr. Jones" and Get Money." Short was the natural choice for my first documentary because hes one of the most significant rappers of our time and he personifies the independent spirit."

A rare model of longevity and consistency in hip-hop, Too $hort understands his dedicated fan base and recognizes what he offers: You gotta have a little pimp, a little mack daddy in you to go for the Too $hort thing . . .You may never call your woman a bitch, but youll put on some Too $hort and sing along with it when shes in the car."

Life I$ . . . The Life and Times of Todd Shaw will be available on DVD August 26, 2003 on Grass Roots Entertainment.