Audio MIMS
This is Why I'm Hot

MP3: "This is Why I'm Hot" is a huge hit. It's blown up like crazy. What's the story behind the song? How did it come together? MIMS: I mean, I basically live in the studio. You know, when I'm recording, my studio's literally in the same room as my bedroom. So for me to do records is nothing. I have a wide catalogue, so I got up one day and I was listening to a beat, and I said, "You know what? I just want to experiment with something," and the first thing that came out of my mouth was "this is why I'm hot." And then I said it again. I was like, "this is why I'm hot," you know. And it just went from there. So, yeah. And then just took it from there. So if you notice, like, even in the record I repeat myself a lot because it was just coming naturally. You know, "this is why, this is why, this is why I'm hot." This is just that simple. That's the reason why I came up with that record. Okay. Did you have any—you know, sometimes when you record a song you're like, "I know this is going to be a hit. I can feel it." Did you have that premonition with that, or were you just cranking out tracks? You know what? I'm always thinking I've got to—I'm coming out—I got to come out with something crazy. So every record I record I honestly think that it's a hit, you know. And with this one it was no different. I mean, I knew it was a good record, but did I think the world would take on to it this crazy? No, I definitely didn't. I mean, you only imagine that it does, and each and every record you put out you hope that it gets to this level, but, you know, I'm so excited. I'm happy to be here, and I think that this was a blessing for me that people allowed me to come into the game with a record this powerful. Absolutely. So, in terms of your background, this is the first that a lot of people have heard of you. How long have you been recording for? When did you first get into it and how long have you been knocking out tracks? Well, I started out DJing at the age of 13. My mom, who passed away—she passed away a couple months after she bought me some DJ equipment. She bought me some turntables and a mixer, and the turntables were bootlegged. They were like the belt-drive ones. They weren't Technics. But, honestly, that allowed me to get into the game. It was a good introduction. It allowed me to learn how to go to, like, stores like Rock & Soul in New York City and pick up some 12-inch. And then eventually I took it from DJing into engineering, so at the age of 15 I bought a computer and I bought some, engineering software like Cakewalk. And I learned how to sequence, I learned how to record and then eventually learned how to produce. So when you put all of that together, when you put everything together, you know, it was only natural for me to get into the rap portion of things and start writing, and that’s exactly what I did. By the age of 18, 19, I built a bigger studio, this time with ProTools. I had a Mac computer, and I had all the plug-ins I needed. So I really learned how to make music sound exactly the right way. I never would slow down by having to wait to go in the studio because I knew how to operate my own studio. I knew how to record and, you know, eventually I think that was one of the biggest things that helped me out is that I didn't have to hesitate to come up with song ideas, and that's how I can make records like "This Is Why I'm Hot." And in terms of production are you making all the beats yourself? Or do you have a team that's working with you or what? I dibbled and dabbled but I didn't produce any records on my album. But I am the executive producer of it, which means that I knew how to put the right producers in place and get them together to make it a wonderful album. And I think that's what I did as opposed to just going in there and making music, which I'm capable of doing. I allowed the professionals to do it, and I just kind of geared them to where I wanted the music to sound like. And I think I did a great job of doing it. And, you know, I'm giving myself practice because eventually, I hope to be one of the people that can do it, not just do it for myself, but create the same big story with another artist or maybe R&B or rock 'n roll. Right on, man. So what else can we expect from the album? The album is Music Is My Savior. Who do you have on there in terms of features and in terms of producers and what not? Well, the beauty about the album is that every producer on the album is brand new. It's not somebody you're used to hearing. So at the end of the day I got a whole a slew of brand-new producers coming in. The Blackout Movement who produced "This Is Why I'm Hot" for me produced about eight, nine records on my project. And then I got a couple other new people out of New York. One his name is Chip and the other's name is Kobayashi. And then I've got these two new dudes from the Midwest called D Baker and Twist which they've got two records on the album that are incredible. In order to introduce myself I felt like I had to come off on a brand-new level and I had to be a person that looked a little bit different in the eyes of the public than just a normal rapper. No doubt. Definitely, man. Now, you're from New York, right? Washington Heights? Yes. You know, there's been a lot of talk about "New York is struggling and, you know, the South is running s***," in terms of radio and sales and stuff like that. You represent New York but at the same time, if somebody heard you, they might not be able to tell. Like, "is this kid New York or is he from the South or from the Bay" or whatever? Are you purposely trying to make music that sort of touches on all regions? What's your take on the regionalism in hip-hop? You know what? I think my publicist said it best. Jennifer Williams who's one of my publicists, my personal publicist, she said that, "MIMS, you know, you're one of the artists that came out and honestly instead of being considered just a regional artist or just about their region, you're really an all-American artist and really one of the first all-American artists there are," and I want people to really kind of take that in and understand that. I'm here to represent hip-hop across the board. You know, I'm here to do music for everybody not just my area. And I love being from New York. I love Washington Heights and, you know, I love Long Island. I loved growing up in these areas of New York and being around, you know, the New York lifestyle, but I also appreciated going out on the road and, you know, hooking up with people in the Bay or hooking up with people in the South and, you know, gaining respect. And I think that that's a big reason why I'm here today and representing because these are the people that showed me love when I needed it, you know? Absolutely. Now, are you worried at all that, because you had such a huge success and such a big response right out the gate to your first single…it's kind of a singles market right now where someone get the real hot song and then nobody buys the album. Does that make you cautious or paranoid at all? I think when people listen to me speak and they listen to how I carry myself they know that there's a lot more to me than just "This Is Why I'm Hot." And I hope people are wise enough to go and invest in the album as opposed to just the single. I mean, sometimes it is extremely hard with the market today to get other records out there. And "This Is Why I'm Hot" has been extremely successful. I mean, one of the biggest records in a long time to reach where it's at, you know. Sometimes in life you got to accept where your music goes, and I'm not sitting here saying, "I need to top 'This Is Why I'm Hot.'" I just want to show you guys that I can bring different types of styles and I'm very versatile and I've got a great album and you're going to love a lot of the records on there. So with that being said, I think as people get to know more about me and people see me a lot more, whether it be TV, magazines or radio, they get more of a sense of personalization and that makes them want to go out and buy the album. And I'm hoping that that's the truth because I'm looking for that support come March 27. Right on, man. Well, I've got one more question for you, and then I'll let you roll. I know you've got a lot on your plate. This is something that I ask everybody who I interview. You know, because nowadays, hip-hop is so huge and in addition to all the fans out there it seems like everybody wants to be an artist as well. Everybody's got their MySpace joints. They got their demos. You know, they want to get on. They're trying to start their own label or their movement or whatever. As somebody like yourself who, you know, six months ago, a year ago nobody even knew who you were and now you've got this monster hit. You're about to drop the album. You know, you've got a good little situation for yourself. What kind of advice would you give to, like, those young cats that are seeing where you're at and look up to you? I've been getting a lot of love across the country and also, you know, I get mixed emotions. I think some people think I'm an overnight success because of how I came in, and they think "This Is Why I'm Hot" is one record on my project. But the honest answer is that, I'm here for a reason because I worked hard to get here. And for anybody out there that's interested in doing what I'm doing, you've got to work hard at this because this is not an easy business to get into, one, and to stay into, two. So for all those guys out there that's aspiring to do what I'm doing, you know, remember: before you're quick to judge someone for what they're doing, and saying that I can be better than that person and I can do better than that person, or that person's wack, or they don't know how to do this and don't know how to do that, I feel like you're just building an excuse for yourself to say, "You know what? I'm not here because of this person being in the game."

But that's not the truth. You know, you can be the wackest artist in the world and make something of yourself in the music business because you work hard enough and your work ethic is there. And, you know, I want people to understand that. You know, skills is great but knowing how to pay homage and—knowing how to pay homage, one, to hip-hop and two, to somebody who's just on the grind doing their thing is another thing. Because you never know who that person will be, and maybe that's the same person that's able to help you out when you need it. So that's just my advice. You know, just pay attention to what you say in this game and then how do you affiliate yourself with people. Me, I didn't come into this game stabbing anybody, shooting anybody, going to jail. I'm not preaching a negative message. I'm trying to get people to really understand that music has a fun side, especially in New York, and it's about time we all start working with each other and not sitting here saying, "You know what? I need to be where he's at because he's not as good as I am," you know? Right on man. So the album drops March 27. March 27. Music Is My Savior. And then do you have a second single picked out for it? The second single we're deciding to go with is a record called "Like This," which is going to be a big club record and it's going to be a record where I think when I do the video I'm probably going to have—instead of me dancing with girls I'm probably going to have guys battling girls in a dance-off. So definitely look out for that record. It's going to be a competitive record, and I think it's going to be great for the public and, you know, it's going to be good for the people to have fun with again. That sounds good, man. Thanks for taking the time to do this, and good luck with everything. I appreciate it, man. Thank you. All right. Take it easy, man. You too.