At 60, Too $hort has no plans to stop his hip-hop voyage with new album produced fully by Lil Jon

LOS ANGELES (AP) — At 60, Too $hort might have officially reached senior citizen status. Just don’t expect him to rap like one.The Oakland hip-hop pioneer is still recording, touring and talking slick more than four decades after he began selling homemade tapes on the streets of the Bay Area. While the genre has long treated aging like an unwritten career-ending offense, Too $hort is breaking the rule and challenging the culture’s elder statesmen to keep going with him.His latest proof is “Sir Too $hort Vol.

2: Drink & Smoke,” his 23rd studio album, produced entirely by longtime collaborator Lil Jon. It arrives Friday, exactly 20 years after the release of his enduring hit “Blow the Whistle.”Too $hort, whose catalog also includes classics like “The Ghetto” and “Shake That Monkey,” says he isn’t interested in slowing down anytime soon. That was certainly evident when he and E-40 performed at the NFL Honors in February.In an interview with The Associated Press this week, Too $hort reflected on turning 60, challenging hip-hop’s age limits, preserving the legacy of Lil Jon’s late son, DJ Young Slade, the staying power of “Blow the Whistle” and why he has no plans to stop until “the wheels fall off.”This interview has been edited for length and clarity.AP: You recently turned 60, but you’re still releasing albums, touring and influencing the culture.

When you first started selling homemade tapes on the streets of Oakland, did you ever imagine you’d still be doing this more than four decades later?TOO $HORT: At the age of 14 or 15, my mentality was, “Let people hear this music. We’re going to rock some house parties and high school dances and sell some tapes to fans in the streets.” When I got my foot in the door, I knew this was going to be my job. It was always “till the wheels fall off.” It was never, “Let’s do this for 30 or 40 years.”I’ve always said the day hip-hop is no longer my job is probably the day I’ll stop.

But the love I have for hip-hop won’t allow me to stop recording. I’ve continuously been in the studio, continuously doing shows. I just keep it going because it’s my job.AP: Why do you think you’ve remained relevant when so many careers have come and gone?TOO $HORT: I truly love making music.

I could have stopped after “Blow the Whistle” and been like, “Story told.” But somebody’s got to …