Mims

Mims is a New York Hip-Hop artist that recently released his sophomore album called Guilt.  His new song, Move (If You Wanna) is currently being played all over the country.  You might remember “This Is Why I’m Hot” which hit number 1 on Billboard’s Top 100.  The hip-hop anthem went from 32 the previous week all the way to the top marking the third-biggest jump in the chart’s history.

The single strode well past platinum, selling 1.6 million digital copies.  Additionally, figure in the 2.8 million cell phones ringing to the familiar beat.   Note also the gold digital sales of follow up single “Like This,” likewise off 2007 debut album Music Is My Savior.

With all the earmarks of superstardom and staying power, MIMS now offers his bubbling new single, the droning, driving “Move if You Wanna,” produced by Chicago’s Da Internz and appearing on sophomore album Guilt,  which released on April 7, 2009.

The numbers are deafening. But what do you really know of the man?  The monosyllabic swagger perfected on “This Is Why I’m Hot” doesn’t nearly convey the depth and introspection of the artist and the acronym that is MIMS.

In fact, he tells his own story with such aplomb that MIMS renders a traditional biography moot.  What follows is, in essence, the autobiography of MIMS.

MIMS on how he’s perceived: I’ll never regret doing “This Is Why I’m Hot,” because without it I’d never have the voice I have now.  I’ve achieved a point of success in hip-hop that not many of my peers can say they matched.  That said, people listened to that single and automatically decided and defined who MIMS is and what he brings.  Had they not used that song to define me, you’d never have heard any gripes that MIMS isn’t lyrical, or that MIMS is a one-hit wonder.  I wouldn’t have to defend my musical ability.  I did make a mistake on the first album, which was not giving enough insight into who I am.

People don’t know all the things I’ve studied in my life: DJing, engineering, production, mixing and mastering.  I took jazz classes, piano lessons, and acting lessons. All of that helps my creative process.  I will never limit myself.

Ace Hood

The Miami rapper and Hip-Hop artist, Ace Hood, is set to release his debut album called “Gutta” on September 23, 2008.  It will be released on DJ Khaled’s We The Best Music and Def Jam. T-Pain, Trick Daddy, Plies, Akon, Rick Ross and DJ Khaled are expected to make appearences on the album.

Some producers set to appear are Danja, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, DJ Nasty, The Inkredibles, The Runners, Cool & Dre, and Gold Rush.  Ace Hood is enjoying nationwide success of his first single, “Cash Flow.”  The follow up track is called “Ride” which features Trey Songz.

“The Game” was born Jayceon Terrel Taylor on November 29, 1979 and is a Hip-Hop rapper signed to Geffen Records.  He rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album, The Documentary, and his two Grammy nominations.  Since then, he is considered to be a driving force in bringing back the West Coast hip hop scene and competing with many of his East Coast counterparts.  The Game is the only West Coast solo artist to release a multi-platinum album (The Documentary) since Dr. Dre’s 1999 album, 2001.  Aside from releasing two albums that debuted at number one on the United World Charts and the Billboard 200, The Game has gained notoriety for the hip hop feuds he has taken part in.  The Game’s new Hip-Hop album called L.A.X. drops on August 26, 2008.
“The Game” Early Life
Jayceon Taylor was born in Los Angeles, California and was raised in the district of La Brea before his family moved to Compton, California when he was four years old. After his family split up he lived with a foster family for eight years in Carson, a suburb of Los Angeles (located immediately southwest of Compton). When Taylor was thirteen, his mother was re-granted custody and he was reunited with his family in Compton. He spent his later life living in a primarily Crip gang neighborhood known as Santana Blocc, although he grew up to become a member of the Bloods. After graduating from Compton High School, Taylor had a short stint at Washington State University on a basketball scholarship. However, he was kicked out in his first semester because of drug allegations. At the age of eighteen, he began to follow his older half brother, “Big Fase 100″, who was the leader of the Cedar Block Pirus. Taylor was shot five times after a failed drug deal in 2001. The attack put him in a three day coma and while recovering in the hospital, he decided to pursue a career in the rap industry.
“The Game” Early Career

Studying various influential rap albums, The Game developed a strategy to become a rapper himself and with help from Big Fase, they founded The Black Wall Street Records. The Game first gained prominence when he attended a hip-hop summit hosted by Russell Simmons and Louis Farrakhan, releasing his first mixtape “You Know What It Is Vol.1″ in 2002, followed by a record deal with the independent label, Get Low Recordz. Originally Sean Combs of Bad Boy Records was going to sign him to his label, but The Game’s mixtape found its way into the hands of Dr. Dre, who proceeded to sign him to Aftermath Entertainment. To capitalize on the gowing buzz, The Game continued to release music. In October 2004, he released his first album “Untold Story” through Get Low Recordz. The Game also appeared on other various mixtapes. He also released a second mixtape “You Know What It Is Vol.2″ through his own record label and appeared on the video game NBA Live 2004 on a song called “Can’t Stop Me.”

Rise To Fame of “The Game”
The Game was originally signed as an artist but Interscope Records CEO Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre decided to have The Game also work with 50 Cent and G-Unit. The arrangement was to help build a growing buzz around The Game which would also fuel interest in G-Unit. Since then, he made numerous cameo appearances in music videos. Even at this early stage in his career, he was embroiled in rap feuds associated with G-Unit, including those with Joe Budden, Ja Rule, and Memphis Bleek. His first appearance on a single was Jim Jones’ “Certified Gangstas”, before his own single “Westside Story” was released in 2004.

“The Documentary” debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was the tenth best selling Hip-Hop album of 2005 in the United States. It also debuted at number seven in the United Kingdom and sold over five million copies worldwide. Due to his disputes with 50 Cent, The Game left Aftermath Entertainment and signed with Geffen Records to terminate his contractual obligations with G-Unit in the summer of 2006. The rapper’s second album Doctor’s Advocate was released on November 14, 2006.

This album was set out by The Game to prove that he is able to make good music and be a successful artist without the help of Dr. Dre or 50 Cent. The album debuted at number one in the U.S., selling over 358,000 copies its first week. In may 2007, The Game said while filming Beef IV that his third album, L.A.X., would be his last, explaining that three albums will be enough to have allowed him to “get his point across”.

Tech N9ne is Hip-Hop. The decade long battle for national respect and mainstream success is coming to a head with more lyrics, beats and songs on any other Hip-Hop album.

The 36-year-old independent rapper’s newest CD, “Killer,” charted at No. 12 on the latest Billboard top 200, selling an impressive 36,200 units in its first week. The 32-track double CD is the nation’s No. 1 indie album, the No. 4 hip-hop CD behind Lil Wayne, G-Unit and Three 6 Mafia and puts Tech N9ne on the same platform as some of the biggest names in the music industry.

“It’s wonderful to be amongst the likes of Lil Wayne, Kid Rock and Rihanna,” said Tech N9ne, who co-owns the Blue Springs-based label Strange Music that puts out his music. “We’ve been working hard to get here for a long time. This is just the beginning. There are bigger and better things to come from Tech N9ne and Strange Music. Just watch — here we come.”

In an industry severely damaged by the economy and digital file sharing, Tech N9ne’s ability to gain Billboard traction is rather remarkable. His music gets very little national radio airplay and virtually no video support from star-makers MTV and BET.

Despite that, “Killer” sold 14,000 more copies during its debut release than Tech N9ne’s 2006 studio album, “Everready” — a sign indicating Strange Music’s brand is growing stronger. Some industry insiders have pegged Strange as the new millennium No Limit Records, the Master P-run label that exploded out of Louisiana in the 1990s.

The strong showing of “Killer” comes on the heels of Minneapolis independent rap group Atmosphere making industrywide news in May, selling 36,500 units and cracking the Billboard Top 5 with its most recent release, “When Life Gives You Lemons.” Like Strange Music, Atmosphere’s label, Rhymesayers, has figured out how to move units and grow a rabid fan base while being ignored by radio and TV.

“We tour harder (and more often) than any other rap act,” said Travis O’Guin, Strange Music founder and president. “We evolve our merchandise to maintain strong sales, and we have an incredible internet presence with MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and other sites. These things allow us to reach out to fans, to bring the music to them and to keep them excited and involved.”

Strange Music’s independence from a major label creates the artist freedom that allows Tech N9ne to produce some of the most diverse music in the rap genre. Tech N9ne’s rap style defies definition. He bounces from traditional MC to storyteller to rock/rap to gangsta to dance/party to social commentator song to song.