The Mack of the Century...Too Short's Greatest Hits compiles select highlights from the Oakland rapper's 13-album output for
Jive Records. The selections span three decades, from 1988 to 2003, leaning heavily upon
Too Short's late-'80s/early-'90s prime, including such memorable songs from this era as
"Freaky Tales," "Dope Fiend Beat," "Life Is...Too Short," "I Ain't Trippin'," "Short But Funky," "The Ghetto," "In the Trunk," "I'm a Player," and
"Blowjob Betty." There's a noticeable de-emphasis on what followed, however. From 1995 onward,
The Mack of the Century... includes only four songs:
"Cocktales" (1995),
"Gettin' It" (1996),
"Burn Rubber" (2003), and
"Choosin'" (2003). This approach certainly doesn't result in a balanced summary of
Too Short's career to date, yet it does ensure that
The Mack of the Century... showcases a lot of the rapper's prime work (as featured on the albums
Born to Mack,
Life Is...Too Short,
Short Dog's in the House, and
Shorty the Pimp) at the expense of his latter-day output, which was less successful as well as less popular. [There is also a clean version of the album available.] ~ Jason Birchmeier
