Too $hort and Lil Jon Reunite for Drink & Smoke

Too $hort is entering another chapter of one of hip-hop’s longest-running careers.

The Oakland pioneer will release his 23rd studio album, Sir Too $hort Vol. 2: Drink & Smoke, on Friday, July 31. The project was produced entirely by longtime collaborator Lil Jon and arrives exactly 20 years after Too $hort released “Blow the Whistle.”

At 60, Too $hort continues challenging the idea that rap careers must come with an expiration date. He began selling homemade tapes around Oakland during the 1980s and has remained active through multiple generations of West Coast music, Southern crunk and mainstream hip-hop.

The album’s title track, “Drink & Smoke,” features E-40 and Tyga. The record was jointly produced by Lil Jon and his late son, DJ Young Slade, whose creative contributions are also being honored through the project.

Too $hort and Lil Jon developed a lasting musical partnership during the early 2000s. Records such as “Blow the Whistle” and “Shake That Monkey” helped bridge Oakland’s independent rap tradition with the explosive Atlanta production style that defined the crunk era.

The new album follows 2025’s Sir Too $hort Vol. 1: Freaky Tales. It also extends an active period that has included touring, performances with E-40 and continued appearances alongside Mount Westmore members Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube.

Rather than approaching the album as a farewell, Too $hort views it as proof that veteran rappers can continue recording, performing and growing with their original audiences.