Raider Nation Origin Stories: Oakland hip-hop legend Too $hort remains loyal to his childhood team

Sep 04, 2025 at 03:00 PM

Levi Edwards

Digital Team Reporter

An adolescent Todd Shaw and his family relocated from Los Angeles to Oakland, California, in 1980.

Several months later, the Oakland Raiders became the first Wild Card team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl, knocking off the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10. The Silver and Black had already caught Shaw's eye when he was a child in L.A. – citing players such as Ken Stabler, Jack Tatum and Fred Biletnikoff as his personal favorites. But witnessing a Super Bowl win in his new city was the icing on the cake to make Shaw, now known across the globe as Too $hort, a lifelong Raiders fan.

"I'm diehard Raiders. That run from the 1980s all the way to the Super Bowl in 2002, it was just savage," Too $hort told Raiders.com. "It was a lot of players who were reliable and even back then Al Davis as an [owner] was bigger than most players just persona wise. I can just tell you when we go to a home game, or if you're sitting at home watching the game on TV, you just expect to win."

Too $hort is regarded as one of the most influential West Coast hip hop artists, helping pioneer a G-Funk sound that's taken over the airwaves since the late 1980s. He's collaborated with top artists such as Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, E-40, 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. From 1992 to 1999, he had five consecutive albums chart the top 10 in The Billboard 200.

Amid all the packed shows, chart-topping hits and recognition, he remains loyal to the team that captivated him in his youth and have influenced his sound as an artist.

"Even when the Raiders went to L.A., we still loved them. When they came back [to Oakland], we still loved them. And when they came to Vegas, we still love them," he said. "Diehard Raiders fans ain't going nowhere."

Bleed black and silver till the day I die! #RaiderColors @Raiders @icecube pic.twitter.com/0dQPzp9BPo
— Too $hort (@TooShort) September 15, 2021

Ironically, some of his fondest memories at Oakland Coliseum have nothing to do with the games themselves. His favorite moment have been spent among Raider Nation tailgating before games, with Guy Fieri also confirming some of the epic Raiders tailgates.

"I've bought tickets to so many Raiders games that I didn't go to because I'd get in the parking lot, we'd get ready to walk in the stadium, and we'd never leave the parking lot," Too $hort said. "That's how much fun it was. Friday night, they start lining up. Saturday and Sunday, the parking lot is just packed. And it would take a long time just to get in the game. Somebody's got a van or a pickup truck and a barbecue grill and they got TVs out there and we're losing track of time."

With the team now in Las Vegas, his memories in Allegiant Stadium include performing in front of Raider Nation – having served as the halftime performance on several occasions.

"I like it; it's luxurious," he said of the stadium. "I love it, there's places to go and hang out in the stadium. The seats are amazing, the look of it, it's my favorite stadium in the NFL right now look-wise."

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