In Case You’ve Been Missing… Mims

Name: Mims
Where You Find Him: Washington Heights, New York

What You Might Know Him for and Why You've Cared: In 2007, Mims, born Shawn Mims on March 22, 1981, dropped his hit single, “This is Why I’m Hot.” Co-written by Mims and produced by Miami-based Blackout Movement, the standout track was featured on Mims’ debut album, Music is My Savior, which dropped the same year under Capitol Records. “This is Why I’m Hot,” went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart and reached No. 2 slot on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, eventually being certified Platinum by the RIAA. Additionally, the song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs tally, selling 140,874 downloads. The song sampled various hip-hop hits, including Kanye West’s “Jesus Walks,” E-40’s “Tell Me When to Go,” Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “Nuthin But a ‘G’ Thang” and Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones Part II.” Blackout Movement strategically dropped the beat to each sample at a point in the song when Mims mentions the area from which each of the sampled artists originated. The official remix of the song, The Blackout Remix, is a reggae-inspired tune that features dancehall artists Cham and Junior Reid. Still, while the song was well-received by critics, the New York native’s second single, “Like This,” didn’t catch on the way he hoped, and Mims lost steam. His follow-up album, 2009’s Guilt, received poor reviews as well as the album’s two singles, “Move If You Wanna” and “Love Rollercoaster,” featuring LeToya Luckett.

Current Status: 2009’s Guilt is Mims last studio album to date. In 2010, he was involved in a brawl in Orlando, Florida, outside a club (watch video above). He remains very active on social media (the last time he tweeted to his 26,000 followers was on July 11, two days before this story was published) and had a performance as recent as April in Kansas alongside Sean P from Youngbloodz and others. —Mariel Concepcion (@Mceezy)