Andrew Sims (born October 19, 1982), better known mononymously as Sims, is an American rapper from
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...
. He has been a member of
Doomtree
Doomtree is an American hip hop collective and record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The collective has seven members: Dessa, Cecil Otter, P.O.S, Sims, Mike Mictlan, Paper Tiger, and Lazerbeak. The collective is known for incorporat ...
and
Shredders.
Early life
Sims was born Andrew Sims on October 19, 1982 in
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...
. He grew up in
Hopkins, a suburb of Minneapolis. His parents were former musicians.
He first began creating music at an early age when his father bought him a
Casio SK-1 keyboard. At a young age, he began writing lyrics, not necessarily rap. By the time he was 14, Sims was
freestyle rap
Freestyle is a style of improvisation, with or without instrumental beats (Mystrodamus), in which lyrics are recited with no particular subject or structure and with no prior memorization.Kevin Fitzgerald (director), '' Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme' ...
ping and was also in various non hip hop bands as well. He attended
Hopkins High School in
Minnetonka, Minnesota
Minnetonka ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. A western suburb of the Twin Cities, Minnetonka is located about west of downtown Minneapolis. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 53,781.
Minnetonka is the ...
, where he met
P.O.S and
Cecil Otter, (and later other Doomtree members) who would sell beats to Sims. Following graduation, he studied at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
, before dropping out with seventeen credits remaining. Although he was younger than his cohorts, after a while he was invited to become an official member of Doomtree, being the last one to join.
Career
Sims released the ''False Hopes Number Four'' EP, the fourth in a series of
Doomtree
Doomtree is an American hip hop collective and record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The collective has seven members: Dessa, Cecil Otter, P.O.S, Sims, Mike Mictlan, Paper Tiger, and Lazerbeak. The collective is known for incorporat ...
's ''False Hopes'' releases, in 2003. In 2005, he released his first solo album, ''
Lights Out Paris''. The album was released without the help of a record label or distribution, instead using money earned from Doomtree's shows, who would release the album independently. In 2009, he released ''False Hopes XIV''.
His second solo album, ''
Bad Time Zoo'', was released in 2011. It is entirely produced by
Lazerbeak. The album was released with music videos for the tracks "One Dimensional Man", "LMG", and "Burn It Down." The album features a guest appearance from
P.O.S. Drew Beringer of ''AbsolutePunk'' described the album as "one of the most bombastic hip-hop albums of 2011." ''
City Pages
''City Pages'' was an alternative newspaper serving the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It featured news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews and music criticism, available free every Wednesday. It ceased publication in 2020 due to ...
'' included it on the "Minnesota's Best Albums of 2011" list. Sims released the ''Wildlife'' EP later that year.
In 2014, he released the ''Field Notes'' EP. It features production from Cecil Otter and Icetep, as well as a guest appearance from
Astronautalis. In 2016, he released his solo album, ''
More Than Ever''. In 2018, he released a collaborative album with Air Credits and Icetep, titled ''Artería Verité''.
Personal life
In 2010, Sims' wife Sarah (then girlfriend) needed an emergency pancreas transplant. During the Doomtree's ''Blowout Three'' concert, she was in a coma''.'' Sims' experience is documented in a hidden song on "Hey You" on ''
Bad Time Zoo''s CD and vinyl release. In 2011, they married.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Lights Out Paris'' (2005)
* ''
Bad Time Zoo'' (2011)
* ''
More Than Ever'' (2016)
* ''Artería Verité'' (2018)
EPs
* ''False Hopes Number Four'' (2003)
* ''False Hopes XIV'' (2009)
* ''Wildlife'' (2011)
* ''Field Notes'' (2014)
Singles
* "Burn It Down" (2011)
* "This Is the Place" (2013)
* "Triple 6's" (2016)
* "One Hundred (Air Credits Remix)" (2017)
* "No Getaway" (2017)
* "Time Don't Fear Me Back" (2017)
* "Cannon" (2018)
Guest appearances
*
P.O.S - "Lifetime...Kid Dynamite" from ''
Ipecac Neat'' (2004)
*
Dessa - "Press On" from ''
False Hopes'' (2005)
*
Mel Gibson and the Pants - "Landmarked" from ''W/ Guitar'' (2005)
* Mel Gibson and the Pants - "Dead Baby Joke" from ''Sea vs. Shining Sea'' (2007)
* P.O.S - "Low Light Low Life" from ''
Never Better'' (2009)
*
Astronautalis - "Thomas Jefferson" from ''
This Is Our Science'' (2011)
*
Culture Cry Wolf - "Second Wind" from ''Dia de los Muertos'' (2011)
*
The Hood Internet
The Hood Internet is an American record production duo based in Chicago, Illinois, specializing in mashups. It is composed of Aaron Brink (ABX) and Steve Reidell (STV SLV).
History
In 2007, the Hood Internet started posting the mashup tracks to ...
- "One for the Record Books" from ''
FEAT'' (2012)
* P.O.S - "They Can't Come" from ''
We Don't Even Live Here
''We Don't Even Live Here'' is the fourth solo studio album by American rapper P.O.S. It was released on Rhymesayers Entertainment on October 23, 2012. It peaked at number 47 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart.
Release
Preorders of the album came co ...
'' (2012)
* Big Quarters - "Grown Up" from ''Somos No Joke'' (2012)
*
Transit
Transit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film
* ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world
* ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
- "Monster See Monster Do" from ''Occupy Tall Trees'' (2015)
*
Air Credits
Air Credits is an American hip hop group from Chicago, Illinois. It consists of rapper Showyousuck and producer Steve Reidell. NPR included the group in the "Eight New Artists to Watch in 2018" list.
Career
Air Credits was originally formed by ...
- "Gear Shiftn" and "No Limits" from ''Broadcasted'' (2016)
*
Four Fists
Four Fists is an American hip hop group from Minneapolis, Minnesota. It consists of P.O.S and Astronautalis.
History
P.O.S and Astronautalis first met on the Warped Tour in 2004. Subsequently, the two started working together in secret as Four ...
- "Annihilation" from ''6666'' (2018)
* Ultra Suede - "Caldera" and "Diamonds" from ''Ultra Suede'' (2018)
References
External links
*
Simsat
Doomtree
Doomtree is an American hip hop collective and record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The collective has seven members: Dessa, Cecil Otter, P.O.S, Sims, Mike Mictlan, Paper Tiger, and Lazerbeak. The collective is known for incorporat ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sims
1982 births
Living people
Rappers from Minneapolis
American rappers
Doomtree members
21st-century American rappers
Hopkins High School alumni