Mims全名Shawn Mims，出生在纽约的“华盛顿高地”(Washington Heights)，这个地区又被称为“曼哈顿的隔壁”。因为Washington Heights就在 纽约黑人区的北边，因此Mims从小就受到黑人音乐很大的影响。13岁那年，Mims非常不幸地同时失去了双亲。之后，他便把自己所有的精力都集中在了音乐与学业上，以使自己尽量不去想那些伤心事。好在，母亲在去世前不久送给了小Mims他的第一台DJ设备，这也为Mims以后的事业埋下了种子。此后，Mims虽然在社区大学呆了一段时间，但他认为如果自己真想要做一名说唱歌手的话，那么就要退学专心做音乐。不久，Mims就离开了社区大学。Mims专心致志的努力不久便收到了回报，他和加拿大流行说唱组合Baby Blue Soundcrew合作的单曲《Love Em All》获得了2001年“Much Music”音乐奖“最佳音乐录影带奖”的提名。2003年，Mims又在迈阿密制作团队the Blackout Movement的帮助下发行了单曲《I Did You Wrong》。 2006年，开始完全个人发展的Mims独立发行了单曲《This Is Why I'm Hot》。这支单曲在包括纽约的“Hot 97”在内的多家当地电台中的节目中相当受欢迎，使Mims开始得到了唱片公司的注意。EMI/Capitol率先下手，签下了Mims。2007年初，《This Is Why I'm Hot》在Billboard Hot 100单曲榜中创下了两连冠的佳绩。2007年3月，Mims的首张正式专辑《Music Is My Savior》正式发行。
by Marisa Brown
Born into a Jamaican-American family in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, Shawn Mims grew up influenced by the rappers just south of him, in Harlem. Despite the fact that he lost both parents by the time he was 13, Mims focused on music (his mother had given him his first set of DJ equipment shortly before she died) and school to keep himself out of trouble. Though he briefly attended community college, Mims decided if he truly wanted to make it as a rapper he needed to drop out, a move that paid off career-wise: he was soon featured on the song "Love Em All" by Canadian group Baby Blue Soundcrew, which was nominated for Best Video in the 2001 Much Music Awards. "I Did You Wrong" came out in 2003 thanks to help from the Miami-based production team the Blackout Movement, and in 2006 the rapper, who was now going by MIMS, independently released the single "This Is Why I'm Hot." The song did well enough on local radio stations, including New York's Hot 97, to garner attention from major labels, including EMI/Capitol, which released MIMS' full-length debut, Music Is My Savior, in 2007.