Too $hort was recognized by his hometown for his contributions to Hip-Hop culture and his West Coast community. The veteran rapper received a proclamation from Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf to officially designate Dec. 10, 2022, as “Too $hort Day.” The 56-year-old artist was also acknowledged with a street renamed in his honor.
“You have told the stories of Oakland’s streets,” remarked Mayor Schaaf, according to Yahoo! Entertainment. “So it’s only right that Oakland gives you a street.”
The three-block stretch of Foothill Boulevard in California’s East Oakland has been officially renamed “Too $hort Way.” Attendees at the event included fellow rappers Ice Cube and Mistah F.A.B., another Oakland native and renowned radio host Sway, and a host of others.
Notably, the “Gettin’ It” performer issued his 22nd solo studio album Ain’t Gone Do It in Dec. 2020, making him the only active Hip-Hop artist to have released an album in five different decades. He is also the only artist to have collaborated with Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., and JAY-Z.
“He decided to put his energy, his time, his creativity into something positive and something constructive,” said Ice Cube during the ceremony. “He took the whole industry by himself in a lot of ways by being the spearhead and letting people know about Oakland, California, and The Bay Area.”
Additionally, $hort announced that he will be partnering with the Oakland Unified School District, Affect The Youth, and Fremont High School to bring back marching bands and music programs to the district.
“I’m a hard worker. So for me, those moments of celebrating and being given your flowers and stuff—it’s kind of like the payoff for hard work,” the rapper remarked to TMZ. I work hard all the time. I’ve never—no matter how much you may see me or hear me or not see me and not hear me, I’m always working. It’s always been that way. I just think that overachievers, we’re supposed to excel. We’re supposed to get streets named after us.”
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