After a hiatus following the 1996 release of his 10th album Gettin’ It, Too Short was coaxed out of retirement for the plainly titled 1999 LP Can’t Stay Away. The album functions less as a comeback and more as a celebration of Short’s legacy. As reflected in the diverse guest list — the longest of his career — Short’s influence has touched all three major rap regions. Here he corrals legends from New York (Jay-Z, Puff Daddy), the Dirty South (Scarface, Eightball & MJG) and L.A. (Daz, Soopafly), not to mention his home turf, the Bay Area (E-40, B-Legit). The production roster is equally diverse, bringing together Jazzy Pha, Diamond D, and Erick Sermon, in addition to Short’s in-house homeboy Ant Banks. What makes Can’t Stay Away extraordinary is that Short excels in every setting. The smoked-out funk of “Don’t Stop Rappin’,” the rock solid boom-bap of “Invasion of the Flat Booty B*****s,” the G-funk of “You Might Get G’eed”— Short fits on everything, or rather, he makes everything fit him. Regardless of the style, the beats always contain some seed of Short’s signature bass-centric funk.