Music.Is.My.Savior or “MIMS”, for short, has been around a lot longer than you might think. His debut single, “I Did You Wrong”, did really well on college radio and ended up being on his first album, and was also one of the first projects serviced by the now infamous Digiwaxx.  So here we are 2 years after “This is Why I’m Hot” and Mims is back with another full length offering. Guilt can be taken a couple different ways, after you listen to the album it’s up to you to decide what it all means.

The album jumps off with the title track produced by The Kaliphat.  Mims explains what he has gone through the last year or so and relates it to one word, “Guilt”.  Next up is a hilarious skit where Mims not only embraces the fact that the public thinks he is a one hit wonder, but plays off it and calls himself a “none hit wonder”. Which leads this critic to believe he is still the same emcee we heard on “I Did You Wrong”, as opposed to the soulless, commercial emcee we heard talking about “saying nothing on a track”. Newcomers Da Internz come through with “On and On” which could have been the initial single for radio. Mims once again shows the listener he is not afraid to confront the fact that he was once a conscious rapper and now he’s on that “commercial shit”.  Producers Blackout Movement or Winston and Danny Boy are not near as prevalent as they were on the debut, but they really show their diversity on “One Day” featuring Ky-Mani Marley. Mims shows how well rounded an emcee he is by relating to the struggle and how bad things really are in this country and abroad.   “Chasing Sunshine” featuring and produced by KVN once again shows another Mims, this time over snapping snares and a distorted guitar riff reminiscent of Linkin Park.   The other stand out track is “I Do” featuring the always entertaining Nice and Smooth. It’s great to see new age emcee’s grabbing those who paved the way, and showing that much needed respect.

As with most commercial releases, there are some major flaws. Whether you can bounce to it in the club or not, “Move” is a pathetic attempt at radio airplay, and even worse is “Love Rollercoaster”.  Jim Jonsin’s nearly unlistenable “Rock ‘N Rollin” featuring Tech N9ne has no place on this album as the same can be said for “Makin Money”. Mims and his production staff show flashes of classic material, but then revert back to what can only be attributed to an A&R’s wet dream.  Towing the line in 2009 is nearly impossible to do. 2pac and Notorious B.I.G. were the masters at this craft and Mims is well on his way, unfortunately the attempts at commercial music fall flat on Guilt while the heartfelt, conscious raps shine through.  To call Mims a one hit wonder is an uneducated statement.  Yes, he had a hit, but after listening to Guilt he might just have a classic down the road.  - DG