Name Andrew Sims Birth name Andrew Sims Years active 2001–present | Occupation(s) Rapper | |
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Born 19 October 1982 (age 38), Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States Similar Paper Tiger (hip hop producer), Cecil Otter, Mike Mictlan Profiles | ||
Andrew Sims (born October 19, 1982), better known mononymously as Sims, is a rapper from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is a founding member of the indie hip hop collective Doomtree.
Contents
- Sims burn it down music video
- Sims Hey You Live on 893 The Current
- Early life
- 2003 2008 Lights Out Paris False Hopes Four and Doomtree
- 2009 2014 False Hopes Bad Time Zoo and Field Notes
- 2015 present More Than Ever
- Personal life
- Studio albums
- EPs
- Singles
- Guest appearances
- References
Sims burn it down music video
Sims - Hey You (Live on 89.3 The Current)
Early life
Sims was born in Minnesota to American parents who 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 rapping and was also in various non hip hop bands as well. He attended Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota 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, 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.
2003-2008: Lights Out Paris, False Hopes Four and Doomtree
Sims' first release was False Hopes Number Four EP, the fourth in a series of fifteen Doomtree member releases (such as Dessa's and Cecil Otter's), and was released locally. His first national appearance was on P.O.S's debut album Ipecac Neat in 2004, on the song "Lifetime...Kid Dynamite." In 2005, he released his first solo album, Lights Out Paris, in 2005. The album was given very favorable reviews, with URB Magazine giving it a 4.5 out of 5, saying: “As if you needed another reason to lend an ear to Minneapolis hip hop.” It features verses from all Doomtree rappers, Crescent Moon and Toki Wright. 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.
2009-2014: False Hopes, Bad Time Zoo and Field Notes
In 2009, he released False Hopes XIV. Later that year, he featured on P.O.S's album Never Better on the song "Low Light Low Life".
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." On June 24, 2011, "Burn It Down" was named KEXP's sog of the day. Sims released Wildlife EP later that year. The same year, he featured on Astronautalis' album This Is Our Science on the song "Thomas Jefferson."
In 2013, he featured on P.O.S's album We Don't Even Live Here on the song "They Can't Come".
The next year, he released the EP Field Notes, which features production from Cecil Otter and Icetep, among others. It also features Astronautalis.
2015-present: More Than Ever
In 2016, Sims released his full-length solo album More Than Ever. The album announcement also featured news of Sims' More Than Ever tour, featuring Air Credits and taking place in late 2016 and early 2017.
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.