Exploding on the scene with his hit smash, “This Is Why I’m Hot”, Mims resembled some youth east coast rap with potential. Unfortunately his album didn’t fair as well and now Mims returns with his sophomore release of Guilt.
Guilt: Soothing organs and a smooth bassline backup Mims’ who spits about the music industry and its impact. Decent intro, however it tends to be a bit dull. 3/5
On & On: Synths explode at the hook, while a looming descending keyboard notes run throughout. The hook repeats “on and on”, becoming a bit tiresome, as Mims speaks about the haters who get at him. Lyrically Mims is on point, but the track can’t escape mediocrity. 3/5
Love Rollercoaster: Light and smooth production by new duo Da Internz, blends well with LeToya’s hook. While the track is a worthy lady number and Mims flow is something to note, the track seems to be a typical radio joint. Despite being a bit cliche, the track ultimately works. 4/5
Move (If You Wanna): Mims uses a similar rhyme pattern as “A Millie”, as he starts out relaxed then goes into a higher energized verse. The track is similar to “This Is Why I’m Hot” featuring corny metaphors and sounding silly, but it gets the job done, as knocking 808s and sped up vocals make for a catchy cub banger. 4/5
One Day: With a Jamaican descent, Mims reconnects to his inner roots to straight up croon on a track. Ky-Mani Marley definitely outshines Mims on this and controls the track. 2.5/5
Chasing Sunshine: Orchestral strings and guitar backing create an alternative ready production. Mims fits the track fairly well and KVN’s appearance is nicely done on the hook. The track seems aimed at the MTV listener and a more diverse listening group than the typical rap audience. 3.5/5
Rock ‘N Rollin’: Mims attempts a track like Wayne’s “Shoot Me Down” however the track comes off completely cliched. From Jim Jonsin’s rock oriented production, to Mims namedropping famous rock bands, it’s merely Mims recalling various bands into uncreative metaphors. Tech N9ne saves the track from complete disaster, dropping a more charismatic and speedy flow. 2/5
Be My Hustla: Decent midtempo that features a worthy J. Holiday appearance, as Mims handles the track better than others. Kaliphat’s production is solid and the track works. 3.5/5
Makin’ Money: Irritating beat, Mims falters and the track is complete filler. This is a miss and horridly cliched. 1/5
In My Life (Why Oh Why): Heavy percussion, similar sounding hook as “On & On”, the track is mediocre at best. 3/5
One Last Kiss: Mims continues to work with more diverse sounds, going with a rock oriented beat, similar in style to “Chasing Sunshine”. Soler Mesh drops a nice hook and Mims works well over the guitars revolving notes. 3/5
Heal Me: Nice outro that has Mesh crooning again, as Mims drops some heartfelt lyricism. 3.5/5
I Do: Sampling Nice & Smooth, piano keys plunk and Mims raps. The track is decent, but not too memorable. 3/5
Life Of A Star: Interesting production by Blackout Movement are unique, but the track is everything that resembles commercial rap. Cliched lyricism about the typical things and autotuned hook, the two main culprits of mainstream rap. Weak bonus. .5/5
Mims sophomore release has him attempting to truly find his identity. While he’s getting better at finding what his niche will be, the album falters because it lacks the amount of bright spots his debut had. Both albums suffer the similar problems, except his first album had better gems, while this album showcases similar gems, just not quite as likeable. What’s wrong with Mims? He simply sounds cliched and the typical product of commercial mainstream. His identity crisis hurts him even more, as he doesn’t have street cred, and distances himself away from the persona, going towards a more diverse appeal evident in the likeable “Chasing Sunshine” and decent “One Last Kiss”. “Rock ‘N Rollin’” comes off completely cliched, with a mundane flow and emo mindstate that simply namedrops various rock bands, while Tech N9ne proceeds to murder the track. “One Day” can’t even be seen as a track, considering Ky-Mani Marley mainly sings and does a nice job, but the verse that Mims has is....let’s just say that’s not his calling. “Move (If You Wanna)” and “Love Rollercoaster” are the two singles and gems, but they don’t shine as well as his previous “This Is Why I’m Hot” and “Without You”. A shorter tracklist serves Mims well, as his debut was overlong, however there aren’t too many impressive numbers. He’s a likeable rapper who has his head in the right direction, but it’s going to need to be better executed next time around. Regardless Guilt showcases a young emcee struggling to find his audience and niche, while delivering lukewarm tracks.
Rating: 6 out of 10
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