Born to Mack

1987 studio album by Too Short

Born to Mack

Studio album by

Too Short

Released

July 20, 1987
September 22, 1988
(Dangerous Music/RCA release)
August 24, 1989
(Jive/RCA compact disc release)

Recorded

1986–87 (except "Mack Attack" in 1988)

Genre

Hip hop
dirty rap

Length

51:12

Label

Dangerous Music
Jive
RCA^[1]

Producer

Too Short
T. Bohanon

Too Short chronology

Raw, Uncut, and X-Rated
(1986)

Born to Mack
(1987)

Life Is...Too Short
(1988)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[3]
RapReviews	7/10^[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[5]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	7/10^[6]

Born to Mack is the fourth studio album and debut major label album by American rapper Too Short.^[7] The album was released in 1987 via Dangerous Music. It was re-released in 1988 by Jive Records/RCA, after the success of Life Is...Too Short, although Jive Records logos did not appear on it until it was released on compact disc in 1989.

Too Short sold around 50,000 copies of the album directly from the trunk of his car.^[3]

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that Too Short made "weak work of simple beats and unconvincing boasts, big-booty fantasies ('Freaky Tales,' 'Partytime'), ugly putdowns ('Dope Fiend Beat') and jailbait concerns ('Little Girls')."^[1] The Spin Alternative Record Guide wrote that the album elevates "the 75 Girl formula without abandoning it."^[6]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Partytime"	5:00
2.	"Mack Attack" (released on 1988 version)	5:57
3.	"Playboy Short II"	7:10
4.	"You Know What I Mean"	6:00
5.	"Freaky Tales"	9:30
6.	"Dope Fiend Beat"	6:31
7.	"Little Girls"	6:10
8.	"The Universal Mix"	3:42

Charts

Chart (1987)	Peak position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[8]	50

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[9]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ ^a ^b "Too $hort". Trouser Press. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
^ Mtume Salaam (1989-08-24). "Born to Mack - Too $hort | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
^ ^a ^b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 212.
^ "Too $hort :: Born to Mack :: Jive/Zomba". Rapreviews.com. 2003-01-25. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 711.
^ ^a ^b Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 412.
^ "Too $hort | Biography & History". AllMusic.
^ "Too Short Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
^ "American album certifications – Too Short – Born to Mack". Recording Industry Association of America.