“Music saved my life. It kept me
inside, it brought me home early; it kept me in the right place, at the right
time. So I dedicate this album to music. Music is my savior.“
With such deep words in the intro track, one might expect Music Is My Savior to be an
introspective album. Then again, if you don’t live under a rock, you’ve heard MIMS‘ single, “This is Why I’m Hot” –
which suggests entirely the opposite. The excruciatingly simplistic lyrics, the
uninteresting flow and the unimaginative subject matter of what may be the
year’s biggest hit single suggest that Music
Is My Savior is just the same ‘ol shit.
Well, for the most part, the assumption is an accurate one. You’ve got “Superman,”
which is sort of a mix between “This is Why I’m Hot” and Kelis‘ “Bossy.” If that sounds too horrible to imagine, it’s
because it is. The shit is an insult. Then you’ve got the incredibly
strange “This Is Why I’m Hot Remix” featuring Cham (no, not Chamillionaire.
Cham.) and… Junior Reid? I’m all for interesting guest spots, but Junior Reid is more out of place than Bill O’Reilly in the Million Man March.
Continuing with the awful songs, you’ve got the obligatory song to the
ladies – “Girlfriend’s Fav MC.” After listening to the song, chances are your girl’s
favorite emcee will still most likely be Fabolous.
“Big Black Train” doesn’t help any as MIMS
raps, “I ain’t got spinners, I’m a winner
by nature/I can’t stand a broad that’s just into my paper/You find me in the
club sippin’ henny, no chaser/If I don’t hit it now, I bet I’m hittin’ that
lata.“
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Sounds pretty dismal? For the most part, it is. But rest assured, Music Is My Savior packs some heat. “Cop
It” is straight fire, as MIMS rips
through a hard-hitting beat and spits: “I
heard it was ‘squeeze first, ask questions last’/So which one of y’all is the
next to ask?/Be the same one of y’all up next to blast/I suggest you raise up
like Exxon gas.”
The first major surprise of the album comes in the form of “Where I Belong,”
which has MIMS dreaming of a perfect
world a la “Thugz Mansion”: “In a place
where women don’t trade money for sex/Or cops harass you in front of your
steps/Where, taxes don’t equal a half your check/Where people give respect in
order to have respect.” The thoughtful lyrics come as pleasant
surprise, and continue with “Doctor, Doctor,” on which MIMS airs out all of his frustrations to whoever will listen. He
ends the album with “Don’t Cry,” a touching narrative where MIMS recalls the poor decisions his
mother made when he was a child.
So yes, there some introspective tracks on Music Is My Savior. The problem is, they’re few and far in between.
Granted, MIMS never claimed to be a
“conscious” emcee, but the fact remains – he is most engaging when he raps
about something that matters. Instead, he decides to follow the formula of emcees
such as Game who are content to be
known more for their mediocre tracks than their thought-provoking ones.
In the end, this album provides enough distractions to get you through the
day, as songs like “Like This” and “Just Like That” are fairly entertaining and
will likely get spins in many a club. Circular logic be damned – MIMS debut
ends up doing a pretty decent job of showing us why he’s hot.
