"Too Short's career has been spit upon by supposedly `real hip hop fans'. Those fans are stupid people because they don't realize Short's influence on the rap game and hip hop music in general. He basically started this pimp/ player rhymes and flows. He's hated on for his flow, lyrical content, woman bashing etc. etc. His beats are slow ride out beats made for a car. Too Short is an underated storyteller as well. Sex stories have never sounded better than a Too Short rhyme.Although he released a series of tapes out the trunk, this is his first `official' album. 1988...Freaky Tales. The beat was so playalistic...and the rhymes were on pizoint. This song was the joint when it came out forget what you heard. This song really got me into hip hop music. It is indescribably tight. 10 minutes of PURE TRILLNESS. Bliss. Other songs that were tight were Mack Attack, Dope Fiend Beat, Little Girls. Although the album is only 8 songs, the average length of each song is 5-6 minutes...leaving plenty to digest.Although the album rarely gets any more spins from me ( because of his newer albums having better beats and rhymes and his constant innovation * check the Yo Neck Yo Back remix for sonic brilliance if ya don't know! * ) this is still an essential album for any serious hip hop cd collector. A Must Have."
A pioneering West Coast album with great beats and lyrics.
04/25/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a great CD, with extremely heavy bass lines and good lyrics. It is an extremely influential Bay Area rap album, and also Too $hort's first release on Jive Records. Of course, "Freaky Tales" is a classic that everyone loves, but "Mack Attack", "Dopefiend Beat", "Little Girls", and other songs are also some of the best rap songs ever made. Anyone who likes any Old School rap from the Bay, needs to go get this CD."
Kickin' it old school, Yay Area style
Christopher Ware | Fremont, CA United States | 07/25/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is $hort's first album. This is where he defines himself as the pimp, player, mack daddy of Oak-town, CA. It's because of $hort Dog's early work that the Yay is on the hip hop map and this is the album that started it all.The production on this album is hella tight. The beats are bumpin' and the bass is just boomin'. Even on my stock stereo, the whole car be rattlin'. The lyrics are classic $hort. Who can forget FREAKY TALES. This is just 8 minutes of pure pimpin'. In addition, MACK ATTACK, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, and LITTLE GIRLS are just tha shiznit. This is arguably $hort's best album.This is a definite must have for any hip hop collection. Old school Yay Area sound all the way...YOU KNOW!"
The beginning!!!
Philip Y. | Israel | 07/17/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Many of y'all might think that "Born To Mack" which was released in the late 80's is hella old, and Too $hort's start at this rap sh*#. Well, you couldn't be more wrong. Too Short started rapping and releasing records EVEN EARLIER(!) - in the earlier 80's!! He's over 20 years in the game! Anyway, in the mid/late 80's, since he was big in Oakland and the whole Bay Area, Jive Records signed Too $hort to a big contract, which made Too Short HUGE, and also added quite a few millions to his bank account throughout the years. "Born To Mack" was Too $hort's first album on Jive, it was released nationwide, and quickly became gold. Too $hort presented to the rap world something that they hadn't seen before - the pimp game. Too $hort was the first one to rap about pimpin', mackin', the first one to come out with nasty-a## rhymes about those ho*s, one of the first playas. All those sucker wanna-be a** pimps (like 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, etc.) act like they are some big-time pimps, but Too $hort was (and still is) the real thing. Coming from Oakland (home of "The Mack"), Short Dog is first a pimp, then a rapper. In many ways, this music was innovative musically - some of the beats (like on Dopefiend beat) sounded VERY futuristic at that time, and defined the Bay Area sound, so popular today. Too $hort is hella young on this album, and you can see. Yet, his flow is on point (like it always is), his lyrics captivating and his storytelling skills undeniable. Add to this formula charisma , a huge ego and a great sense of humor, and you get the total package. You know the classic off this album (Mack Attack, Freak tales and Dopefiend beat) but the rest of it is extra dope too. This album symbolizes the beginning of an era. Too $hort is the one who started this pimp/playa sh**, and he is together with NWA and Ice T one of the first rappers to put the West Coast on the map. A true pioneer in this rap game. This album is a must-have to any rap fan's collection, it's the beginning. Listen to this album and see where it all started."