Carlos Coleman, better known by his stage name King Los or simply Los, is an American rapper and songwriter from

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. He is best known for his affiliation with American rapper

Puff Daddy Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...

, having frequently served as his

ghostwriter A ghostwriter is a person hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...

and been signed to his label,

Bad Boy Records Bad Boy Entertainment, doing business as Bad Boy Records, is an American independent record label. The label was founded in 1993 by rapper and record producer Sean Combs. During the mid-1990s, the label signed hip-hop and contemporary R&B, R&B a ...

from 2005 until 2008. Coleman re-signed to the label in February 2012, although he departed once more in March 2014. His debut studio album, '' God, Money, War'' (2015), was released by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

and entered the ''Billboard'' 200; Puff Daddy executive produced the album.

Career

1999–2010

As an 18-year-old high school student, Coleman started as a rapper with his main subject being the murder of his father. In 2002 Los auditioned for

Diddy Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...

's ''

Making the Band 2 ''Making the Band'' is an ABC/MTV reality television series that exists in separate iterations, each focusing on a specific music act. It spawned musical acts O-Town, Da Band, Danity Kane, Day26, and Donnie Klang. Except for the first itera ...

'', but after being selected to appear on the show, he refused to sign any of the paperwork required so he was unable to appear on it. Later, Coleman would end up signed to

in 2005 through Da Bloc Incorporated, a local Baltimore record label. Da Bloc Incorporated eventually disbanded due to a legal issue and Los lost his deal in 2008 before he was able to release an album. In 2008 Los released a number of mixtapes and online freestyles. His first and second would be ''Guilty Until Proven Innocent'' and ''G5: Certified Fly'', both released in 2008. He followed that with ''G5.2'' in May 2009. His third mixtape ''Zero Gravity'' was released during April 2010. Then, the mixtape was ''Welcome To Swaggsville'' was released on August 5, 2010. His sixth mixtape ''Shooter'' was released on November 8, 2010. It featured collaborations with

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...

and his After Platinum label-mate

Cory Gunz Peter Cory Pankey, Jr. (born June 22, 1987), better known by his stage name Cory Gunz, is an American rapper from the Bronx, New York City.Jessica Koslow, "Interview: Cory Gunz: Youngest In Charge," February 1, 2005, found aHipHopDx website Acc ...

. On December 26, 2010, Los released his seventh mixtape ''The Louis Vuitton Gift Pack''. The mixtape was primarily composed of freestyles and featured a collaboration with

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

2011–2013: ''The Crown Ain't Safe'' and ''Becoming King''

On July 18, 2011, Los released a mixtape titled ''Worth the Wait'', mostly made of tracks cut from his mixtape ''The Crown Ain't Safe''. On December 5, 2011, Los released ''The Crown Ain't Safe''. The mixtape featured guest appearances by Lola Monroe,

Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...

, DMX,

Kid Ink Brian Todd Collins (born April 1, 1986), known professionally as Kid Ink, is an American rapper and singer from Los Angeles, California. His debut studio album, ''Up & Away (Kid Ink album), Up & Away'' (2012), was released independently and peake ...

Twista Carl Terrell Mitchell (born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Twista (also known as Tung Twista), is an American rapper. He is best known for his Chopper (rap), chopper style of rapping and for once holding the title of fastest ...

and XV. Along with

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

Jahlil Beats Orlando Jahlil Tucker (born February 8, 1988), better known by his stage name Jahlil Beats, is an American hip hop record producer. He has produced for artists such as Lil Wayne, Fabolous, Meek Mill, Chris Brown, Tyga, Rick Ross, Ace Hood, Bobb ...

, Lifted, J. Oliver and Rick Steel, among others. It was met with decent critical reception upon release. On February 6, 2012, Diddy announced to

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

that his newest signee to Bad Boy Records was Los. Right after the announcement Coleman began working on his debut mixtape for Bad Boy. Bad Boy released the mixtape ''Becoming King'' on April 25, 2013. The mixtape featured all-original music and numerous guest artists. Production was handled by

1500 or Nothin' 1500 or Nothin' is an American musical ensemble composed of record producers, songwriters, musicians and music videographers, formed in 2006, in Los Angeles, California. With headquarters located in Inglewood, California, 1500 or Nothin' is comp ...

Harry Fraud Rory William Quigley (born January 26, 1987), known professionally as Harry Fraud, is an American record producer. Primarily a hip hop producer, Fraud began producing at an early age and began interning at a recording studio after graduating fro ...

, J. Oliver, Rob Holladay and

Sonny Digital Sonny Corey Uwaezuoke (born March 5, 1991), better known by his stage name Sonny Digital, is an American record producer, rapper, and DJ.

, among others. ''Becoming King'' was met with generally positive reviews from

music critic '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of m ...

s. ''XXL'' gave the mixtape a positive review saying, "There are heartfelt tales touching on his family, love for music and the trials and tribulations of life. As usual, Los’ strongest asset is an ability to deliver vivid imagery through lyrics and a captivating flow ..Lyrically...the mixtape is a continuation of the verbal assaults he's known for."

2013–present: Departure from Bad Boy and signed to RCA

Los was featured on labelmate

French Montana Karim Kharbouch (Moroccan Arabic, Arabic: IPA pronunciation, æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he immigrated to New York ...

's song "Ocho Cinco" also featuring labelmates Diddy,

Red Cafe Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

and MGK taken from the deluxe edition of Montana's album '' Excuse My French''. On August 13, 2013, Los released a freestyle over the controversial "

Control Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controlling ...

" song. He was then featured on "No Option" by

, a

promotional single A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...

from Ink's second studio album ''

My Own Lane ''My Own Lane'' is the second studio album by American rapper Kid Ink. The album was released on January 7, 2014, by Tha Alumni Music Group, 88 Classic, and RCA Records. Recording for the album took place during 2013 and finished in November 2013 ...

''. On December 28, 2013, Los released ''Broken Silence'', a collaboration mixtape with rapper Mark Battles. The mixtape featured guest appearances from

Wale Wale or WALE may refer to: Places * Wale, Devon, a hamlet in England * Wale, Tomaszów Mazowiecki County, a village in Poland People * Wale (surname) *Wale (rapper), stage name of American rapper Olubowale Victor Akintimehin Radio and televisi ...

among others. Following the announcement of the mixtape '' Zero Gravity II'', on March 19, 2014, Los revealed that he was leaving Bad Boy Records and Interscope. He later elaborated on the story to

saying, "I've chose to explore other endeavors just like my mentor; just like Puff." On March 24, 2014, Los released his twelfth official mixtape ''Zero Gravity II''. Following that, from April 1 to May 31, 2014, Los toured with collaborator Kid Ink as a supporting act on the My Own Lane

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific ...

. On October 23, 2014 Los made an appearance on

HOT 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding, a subsidiary of the Standard General hedge fund. WQHT's st ...

's ''Ebro in the Morning'' radio show and confirmed a new deal with

and 88 Classic, with the only details revealed being the announcement of P. Diddy being an executive producer for his pre-debut album, titled '' God, Money, War'', with RCA and 88 Classic. It was released June 23, 2015. On August 19, 2015, Los appeared on

Why? with Hannibal Buress ''Why? with Hannibal Buress'' is an American late-night television series hosted by Hannibal Buress. On March 10, 2015, the series was green-lit for an eight-episode season. The series premiered on July 8, 2015, on Comedy Central. The show was ...

, performing the title track from ''God, Money, War''. Los then went on to perform on the God, Money, War

Tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

along with fellow rapper Skate Maloley and others. He was one of many features on P. Diddy's mixtape '' MMM'',

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

's mixtape ''

No Ceilings 2 ''No Ceilings 2'' is the fourteenth mixtape by American rapper Lil Wayne, released on November 26, 2015. The mixtape was self-released due to Wayne leaving Cash Money Records. It features guest appearances from Baby E, Curren$y, Euro, Future, Gud ...

'' and later

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor. Raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he signed with the local independent label Rostrum Records to re ...

's mixtape '' Cabin Fever 3''. On July 3, 2015 Los appeared in Damond Blue's music video "Lemme Talk My Sh*t". In 2018, it was announced that Los would be his battle rap return with Rare Breed Entertainment. His opponent was originally slated to be the West Coast battle rap veteran, Daylyt. However a month before the event, Daylyt dropped out and was replaced by East Coast rapper and battle rap veteran, Head ICE. The battle with Head ICE took place in August 2018 with Los receiving widespread acclaim for his performance and lyricism from the battle rap community. In 2021 Rare Breed Entertainment held this delayed match between King Los and Daylyt at their Max Out 2 Battle Rap event. In November of the same year, Los appeared on the Ultimate Rap League's Volume 8 card, battling DNA.

Personal life

The rapper's wife LoLa Monroe gave birth to a boy in March 2013.

Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

* ''G5: Certified Fly'' (2008) * ''Welcome to Swaggsville'' (2009) * ''2 Seconds From Greatness'' (2009) * ''G5.2'' (2009) * ''Zero Gravity'' (2010) * ''G.U.S.A of America (2010)'' * ''Shooter'' (hosted by DJ ill Will & DJ Rockstar) (2010) * ''The Louis Vuitton Gift Pack'' (2010) * ''Worth the Wait'' (2011) * ''The Crown Ain't Safe'' (hosted by DJ ill Will &

DJ Drama Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978), known professionally as DJ Drama, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record executive and music promoter. He initially gained recognition as the DJ for Atlanta-based rapper T.I., and continued to gai ...

) (2011) * ''Becoming King'' (2013) (hosted by

Yung Berg Christian J. Ward (born September 9, 1985), known professionally as Hitmaka, is an American record producer and former rapper. Ward began rapping under the stage name Iceberg in 2001, at the age of 14. His career was cut short, due to his time ...

) * ''Broken Silence'' (with

Mark Battles Mark Anthony Battles (born September 2, 1991) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2011, Battles released his first project ''Good Morning America'' and gained recognition for his single ''Last N ...

) (2013) * '' Zero Gravity II'' (2014) * ''G.O.A.T. Tape'' (2017) * ''Moor Bars'' (2017) * ''410 Survival Kit'' (2018) * ''G.O.A.T. Tape 2'' (2022)

EPs

* ''I Am Not A Industry Plant'' EP (2017) * ''4 Peace Nugget'' (2021)

Singles

As a lead artist

As a featured artist

Other charted songs

Guest appearances

*05. "Auction" (with

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after ...

, &

Styles P David R. Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Styles P (also known Mononymous person, mononymously as Styles), is an American rapper, best known as a member of East Coast hip hop group the Lox. Formed with fellow rappe ...

) on MMM (Money Making Mitch) *06. "MMM" (with Puff Daddy, &

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ex ...

) on MMM (Money Making Mitch)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Los African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers Bad Boy Records artists Living people Rappers from Baltimore African-American record producers American hip-hop record producers RCA Records artists 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians Year of birth missing (living people)