Mims全名Shawn Mims，出生在紐約的“華盛頓高地”(Washington Heights)，這個地區又被稱為“曼哈頓的隔壁”。因為Washington Heights就在 紐約黑人區的北邊，因此Mims從小就受到黑人音樂很大的影響。13歲那年，Mims非常不幸地同時失去了雙親。之后，他便把自己所有的精力都集中在了音樂與學業上，以使自己盡量不去想那些傷心事。好在，母親在去世前不久送給了小Mims他的第一臺DJ設備，這也為Mims以后的事業埋下了種子。此后，Mims雖然在社區大學呆了一段時間，但他認為如果自己真想要做一名說唱歌手的話，那么就要退學專心做音樂。不久，Mims就離開了社區大學。Mims專心致志的努力不久便收到了回報，他和加拿大流行說唱組合Baby Blue Soundcrew合作的單曲《Love Em All》獲得了2001年“Much Music”音樂獎“最佳音樂錄影帶獎”的提名。2003年，Mims又在邁阿密制作團隊the Blackout Movement的幫助下發行了單曲《I Did You Wrong》。 2006年，開始完全個人發展的Mims獨立發行了單曲《This Is Why I'm Hot》。這支單曲在包括紐約的“Hot 97”在內的多家當地電臺中的節目中相當受歡迎，使Mims開始得到了唱片公司的注意。EMI/Capitol率先下手，簽下了Mims。2007年初，《This Is Why I'm Hot》在Billboard Hot 100單曲榜中創下了兩連冠的佳績。2007年3月，Mims的首張正式專輯《Music Is My Savior》正式發行。 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.