Too Short has such a strong friendship with Lil Jon that the two managed a deal in the past that worked in their favor.
During his visit to the All the Smoke podcast, the Bay Area native recalled how he met Lil Jon in Atlanta in the mid-90s while he was working at So So Def and DJing parties across the city. Short was impressed by how Jon had the club jumping and asked him to get in the studio, which led to them dropping “Couldn’t Be A Better Playa.”
The success of that single strengthened their friendship, and at one point, Short helped the superproducer get out of a contract situation with an independent label in Atlanta. According to Short, Jon and the label head had an issue over money, and Short settled the score by buying him out of the deal in exchange for beats.
“I could have signed Lil Jon to my label, but I knew who he was. We had already did a couple songs that blew the fuck up because of him,” said Short. “Instead of me going, ‘Oh, you’re under me now, let’s roll.’ I was just like […] you know, you’re free to go. All I ask for in return was beats. I knew the n***a had them beats.”
Short continued, “For life. The n***a was just sliding me hits for life and the greatest shit ever, he slid me ‘Shake That Monkey’ which lasts forever and the very next year he gave me ‘Blow the Whistle’ and I’m like, you know, ‘Thank you, sir.'”
“Shake That Monkey” peaked at No. 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and even though “Blow the Whistle” didn’t chart, it became Short’s signature song and was used across commercials, television shows, and more. Too Short and Lil Jon’s friendship led to countless other records including “Burn Rubber,” “Bitch,” and “Bia’ Bia’.”
