Whether we love it or hate it, we’ve all heard that one hit single, “This is Why I’m Hot” by none other than Mims. Of course, we don’t know much about this new star, so chances are, if you’re reading this, you want to learn more about Mims, what’s he’s all about, what his influences are, and what he’s trying to do to shake up the world of Rap.
Mims first name is actually Shawn, but I’m sure that prior to today, you didn’t really know that. Shawn Mims was born in a neighborhood known as Washington Heights in Manhattan, NY while being raised in a family whose roots were firmly planted in the Jamaican American culture. He was born on March 22, 1981. Shawn Mims’s earliest influences were based mostly in Harlem, not too far from where he lived. Unfortunately, Shawn Mims parents were deceased by the time he was thirteen years old. His mother even gave him a present which consisted of his first set of DJ equipment not too long before her death. Shawn Mims’s birth father died when Shawn Mims was eleven years old, and his mother remarried and died while trying to give birth to another child. After his parent’s death, Shawn Mims decided to put all his energies into music and decided to not be a rebel and to work hard to be a productive member of society. He said, “Ultimately, it was up to me as to whether I was going to become a victim of circumstance. I could have been one of those cats to say, ‘F the world. I lost both of my parents and I can do anything I want right now because nothing limits me from doing that.’ Instead I said, ‘You know what? If I’m going to do anything or take anything out of this situation it’s going to be positive.’ I took the positive out of it and I feel like it made me stronger. It made me go out there and say, ‘I’m going to accomplish this because you only get one life to live’. This is what I want in life and I’m going to make sure it happens.” Inspiring.
Shawn Mims tried to take the college route by attending the Nassau Community College, and being an A student. Of course, the college route makes sense when you’re trying to establish yourself in today’s world. But Shawn Mims wasn’t feeling the college atmosphere. He decided that if he wanted to pursue his career in music and to become a rap star, he would need to be removed from college. You can imagine what a risky move that was for Shawn Mims…to leave familiar stability of college and try to fight through to the top in a world full of notorious rappers. Fortunately for Shawn Mims, his risky business proved to be extremely beneficial to him.
A group known a the Baby Blue Soundcrew, which originated from Canada, produced a song known as “Love Em All” and they invited Shawn Mims to be featured in it. The song “Love Em All” by the Baby Blue Soundcrew was nominated for the 2001 Much Music Awards for Best Video. There was another band that helped Shawn Mims make it to the top. This band was known as the Blackout Movement, which was a band that had its foundations set in Miami. Shawn Mims was featured in the song known as “I Did you Wrong”, which made its debut in 2003. By this time, Shawn Mims was already going by the moniker of “MIMS”, and he had successfully and independently released his single which is the one that plays almost endlessly in the radio called, “This Is Why I’m Hot.” The song got the attention from major label companies, which included EMI/Capitol record labels. They helped Shawn Mims released his full length CD, Music is my Savior, in the year of 2007.
Amazingly, on March 1 2007, Shawn Mims became the king of the Billboard 100 song with “This is Why I’m Hot”. The song soared thirty one places from its thirty-second place all the way to Number One. This huge jump is actually the third biggest leap in the Billboard’s history, as well as the first number one single for the Capitol Records label. This song suddenly became something that the girls craved, and a song that the guys could relate to. In the song, he made sure that everyone knew what he was representing and why when he said, “I represent New York. (Expletive) say we list it, so I’m a-bring it back.” The song plays more than 1000 times a week in various radio stations. We can definitely say that this makes his exceedingly ‘hot’.
