Sims

“For every second of breath in it, there’s a piece of me left in it.”

Let me introduce you to the latest piece of the ‘how does Minnesota serve up such hot hip-hop?’ quandary – Sims – a member of the Doomtree crew.

It’s an excellent question really, in a rap game supposedly dominated by East Coast and West Coast, where did Minnesota come from? Atmosphere, the conglomerate that is Rhymesayers, Doomtree, and the DJ with the state as his moniker (known for this incredible beat - 05 What Beef Is.mp3), just to name a few. It's a little out of hand.

As a Chicago native, I’m jealous to say the least.

Sims’ first release was Lights Out Paris on Jan 1, 2005. It is, hands down, my favorite hip-hop disc in a while. The LOP disc combines quick, well-thought-out lyrics on top of a phenomenal display of beats. Now I must admit, LOP caters to my exact sweet spot of hip-hop, in which the beat plays as much of a part of the track as the lyrics and delivery – a style perhaps perfected by Black Star with DJ Hi-Tek. And fans of that beautiful disc back in 2002 would be proud of this Sims’ effort.

A few highlights:
1-03 15 Blocks.mp3
1-08 Key Grip (Fax).mp3

Last month Sims released another album: False Hopes 14. Another great disc, although it still plays second fiddle to Lights Out Paris in my mind. That said, it’s definitely worth a spin with some quality tracks like ‘Like You Mean It’ and ‘Pay No Mind.’

Lemme know what you think of this hip-hop from waaaay up nort derr, have a good weekend, and a big thanks to Ian Whitmore.

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Photo by Bo Hakala

Also, I mentioned very briefly the Doomtree crew that Sims is a part of. Honestly, they are worth a long post themselves, so I’ll keep this brief and build the anticipation for a lil' sumpin' sumpin' later. Here’s some teaser:

07 Slow Burn.mp3

Check them out here.

peace.