Houston native Short Dawg has been flying back and forth from his hometown to Atlanta and Miami — anywhere he has to go to record, he gets it in. Short was signed to Def Jam back in 2005 as part of the Russell Simmons Music Group, and later moved over to So So Def when Jermaine Dupri had an executive seat with the company. After years of waiting, nothing ever happened, and he was finally granted his release.

In 2007 Short became friends with Lil Wayne and, with no label contracts binding him, finally signed to Young Money a few months ago.

“I’m definitely on that album — you know I gotta be on that thing,” he said about appearing on the We Are Young Money compilation, due December 21.

“It was an ‘about time’-type thing,” he added about officially signing. “We all been cool. Everybody’s been seeing me. We all been hanging on tour buses, going out of town together. Me and Wayne did the ‘Hurricane Season’ movie together. We were out there in New Orleans together for, like, three months. Everybody embraced me. They were happy to have me over here with them. It’s all love over there, one big strong family. All talented people.”

Like family members Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj and Tyga, Short (the name comes from his high school basketball days when he stood at 4-foot-11) also sings in addition to rapping, and insisted fans will get a taste of both on his still-untitled solo debut.

“You gonna learn that I’m not just a rapper,” he said about his LP. “I love alternative music. I give you a taste of my alternative side.” In fact, one of his alter egos is Elvis Freshly.

“Me and my creative thoughts came up with an alter ego … something for the ladies,” he said. “I got the blue suede shoes and everything. I ain’t got no grease for the scalp to make my bangs come out though.”

DJ Toomp and Kwamé are among the more established names producing the LP — which has been recorded over the last four years — while various Young Money members along with Akon, Pimp C and Bun B are guest-starring. There’s also another cameo appearance that people will be looking forward to hearing: Too Short. The Oakland legend had the nickname “Short Dog” all the way back in the ’80s, but the younger Short Dawg says the Bay Area O.G. gave his blessing several years ago to use the moniker.

Short Dawg’s new mixtape, Southern Flame Spitta Vol. 3, is out now. Props to MTV, are y’all glad that Short Dawg has joined the Young Money family?