Somebody “blow the whistle” in celebration because rapper Too $hort has been honored with his own holiday and street renaming!
According to the Bay Area’s ABC7 news station, over the weekend, the rapper was recognized for his musical “contributions and legacy to the city’s community.” To show it’s appreciation, the city declared Dec. 10 as “Too $hort Day” and renamed one of the city’s main streets (Foothill Blvd) to “Too $hort Way.” A ceremony was later held at Freemont High School where the rapper attended years ago.
“Thank you Oakland,” the rapper captioned in a post to Instagram sharing the news. Additional guests that were there to commemorate the occasion included Ice Cube, Mistah F.A.B., Sway Calloway and more.
In an interview with TMZ, the “Shake That Monkey” rapper further reflected on the honor and the people who helped him along the way:
“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. 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 overacheivers, we’re supposed to excel. We’re supposed to get streets named after us.”
He later added, “I can’t be Too $hort if you give me Todd Shaw only. If it’s just me, I can’t make up Too $hort. There’s no way I can give you that experience without multiple people playing a part. Some of it is being at the right place at the right time. Some of it is having certain people come in your life that help you make that dream happen. But talent alone, ambition alone not gon’ get it without the help of dozens and dozens and dozens of people who played major roles in getting me to next level.