Too $hort Is Still Alive, and He's Performing Tomorrow in Oakland

By Tamara Palmer Wed., Nov. 30 2011 at 2:56 PM

Categories: Rumors, Show To Know

TMZ.com

Gossip outlets such as TMZ reported on the rumors of Too $hort's demise.

Maybe you heard last week's Twitter rumor that Oakland rapper Too $hort had died -- it gained enough steam to merit a mention on celebrity gossip sites such as TMZ and Entertainment Weekly.

Of course, it wasn't true: "Stop calling my phone," $hort finally tweeted on Nov. 22. "I'm not dead. Been in the lab working on my 19th album #NoTrespassing in stores Feb 2012." The man born Todd Anthony Shaw has been dealing with rumors of his premature passing on and off since the '90s. But this was probably the first time he's been able to use it for such effective promotion: $hort got a chance to remind people that he's very much alive -- in fact, he's playing a show at the New Parish in Oakland on Thursday night (Dec. 1).

This unintentional comeback event will feature the assistance of $hort's live band, which includes Oakland multi-instrumentalist Kev Choice and S.F.'s Martin Luther on guitar and vocals. We learned earlier this year that a Too $hort performance with live band is a particularly great night -- an experience in thoughtfully risque funk. Tomorrow's 18-and-over show starts at 10; admission is $20-$25. We'd say that's a small price to pay to witness a legendary local rapper's rebirth, but, well, you know.

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