King Los is considered by many to be the best pure lyricist in Hip Hop, a wordsmith who works wonders with wit, wisdom, and wordplay for a worldwide rap-appreciation audience starving to see an artist so hungry. To the culture here in America Los represents something far more important while audaciously simple: a Black man hell bent on being heaven sent. That is to say, a young Black male indefatigably dedicated to being the absolute DOPEst at what he does. This is rare nowadays.
In this microwave era of the instant internet artist whose constant ignorance is oft mistaken for consistent effort, King Los is a battle-rap tested Baltimore native who honed his craft in throwback street cyphers, perfected it as Bad Boy’s ghetto glam backpacker, then essentially reintroduced himself as This Good in a time when our average rapper is, sadly, That Bad – Los came back packing, fully loaded with freestyles and foresight.
Los’ only failing may prove to be a lack of consistent competition. As Jay Z stated: “Steal sharpens steal”, the good ones motivate the other good ones to become greater, if only to keep pace with peer progress and producer greater goods. Outside of a sometimes disinterested Cole, and an at times disconnected Kendrick, King Los resides in his own lyrical sub-division: a gated grammatical community surrounded by the hundreds of bars homie spits as his daily regimen. Call it rap rehearsal. Few modern day MC’s spin sentences like Los. Different blueprints, lower ceilings; they just ain’t building the same buildings. Los curses in cursive. Do ya’ll validate parKING when a King is on par but his Ferrari is double-parked? King Life.
Now backed by After Platinum, King Los is, well… after platinum. Not so much chasing plaques as attacking rap, with raps. Are-See-Ah! RCA Records has no idea of the verbal storm they signed last summer. Los hung out with DOPE MAG at the Mobli Beach House on Venice Beach for an exclusive cover shoot and complementing convo about fatherhood, Ferguson, solid foundations and the future. Rappers? Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Written by Tone Swep
Images by: Ben Miller
Creative Direction: Sarah Klegman
Styled by: Civil Regime for Civil Clothing
Location: The Beach House, Mobli HQ in Venice Beach, CA
(Tone Swep: TS) For close to a decade, when we think King Los we think Bad Boy. Especially the new Bad Boy era with French, you, MGK, Café and others. How does this new Los signed to RCA Records differ from the Los we’ve grown accustomed to?
(King Los: Los) Well, Bad Boy is a family. And it’s a family that I’ve been a part of for years and my label situation doesn’t change that. Puff is actually executive producing my debut project on RCA. I don’t know that I would necessarily say that there’s a new Los. I’m still who you’ve come to know and even as I’m constantly looking to grow and progress I stay true to who I am.
(TS) The labels have been chasing you down with that money bag since back in the spring, in March, when you announced your departure from Bad Boy and subsequent free agency. What did RCA present that the others did not? Because you already had money. You’ve been making money for years. So it couldn’t have been solely about money.
(Los) RCA’s vision in regard to my music and career aligned with what I saw for myself. Me and my team, After Platinum, have been grinding for a few years now and throughout that time we have built a great fan base and have accomplished some great things. We felt like RCA was the best fit to help us take what we’ve built to the next level. They’ve been great to work with and we have some major things in store!
(TS) You strike me as a very strategic person. So with all of the freestyles you’ve been doing at radio, like on Sway and Hot 97, I know these moves are pieces in a puzzle we don’t know about. At least not yet. Or is this just you bringing lyricism and the competitive spirit back into the forefront?
(Los) It’s a bit of both. We’re definitely building towards a moment. At the same time freestyles are fun for me and I think it does help to bring lyricism and competitiveness back to the forefront.
(TS) Even back in the Big L days, the Cassidy days, and now in the Loaded Lux days, there has been the argument that freestyle rappers couldn’t make hit songs. Your foundation is Baltimore’s battle rap scene, but then you’ve been in that Bad Boy hit-making incubator too. So where is the balance with you musically? Where is your focus?
(Los) My focus is just on making great music and letting the creative process take us to wherever that may lead. I’m definitely conscious of what certain beats may call for, which will typically end up determining the direction that I take a record. I’m fortunate to have come up through the underground scene where the focus was lyricism and to have also had the opportunity to make records with Puff. That’s something that you can learn a lot from. It’s about finding that balance though. That perfect balance.
(TS) Much is said of the climate of violence in Chicago, particularly amongst the youth culture. But Baltimore is grimy as well. Talk a bit about the street and rap scenes right now in present day B-More.
(Los) Yeah, as you mentioned Baltimore is a tough city and it’s a tough place to make it out of. If you can make it from B-More you can make it anywhere. I’ve learned a lot growing up in B-More, it taught me to fight for what I want. As for the rap scene, B-More has some talent on the come up and I’m looking forward to shedding some light on other artists from the city. We have some things in the works that’s going to do just that.
(TS) Baltimore reminds me a lot of Las Vegas in that it’s a city known for hustlers and also entertainment but there’s never been a star rapper from either town, until now. Until you. How important is it to you that your career takes off next level? Not just for yourself but also for Baltimore.
(Los) To me it’s all about progression and as long as you continue to work hard towards whatever goals you set your aim on, it’s only a matter of time until you get there. As long as I continue to progress then my career is heading in the right direction. And ultimately it puts me in a position to where I can help others trying to come up out of B-More. I hear a lot from my listeners speak on how my story and music motivates them and shows them that no matter what odds you have to overcome, anything is possible.
(TS) Let’s take a look at Hip Hop moguls for a moment. Do you think it’s a case of their not being enough star makers signing and developing new talent, or the opposite, too many so-called star makers signing artists who don’t really have what it takes to develop them?
(Los) I think there’s definitely not much developing going on these days. With the internet giving the opportunity for artists to connect directly with the fans, the star makers and the labels they run are more interested in signing artists that have already built a following as opposed to developing a new artist.
(TS) We were expecting a lyrical collabo from Los and Lola but received an even greater gift to the game – your son. How has fatherhood changed you?
(Los) Thank you. Being a father is such a blessing. It’s definitely brought a lot more responsibility to the table, I mean the decisions I make no longer only directly affect my life but also my son’s. It’s now about creating a legacy and doing what I can do for my son. It’s incredible watching someone that you helped bring into this world grow and learn so quickly!
(TS) With recent miscarriages of justice like the Mike Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri and the Trayvon Martin case in Sanford, Florida, what heightened awareness do you feel boys your sons age will need to have 10, 15 years from now?
(Los) This lack of justice is nothing new and I feel that it’s important to understand what has taken place and continues to take place. How can you work to better something if you have no understanding of what’s going on out here? I pray that in 10 to 15 years from now we will see a much more just society.
(TS) You’re said to have an album dropping early next year. What can we expect from the project?
(Los) Yes, we are about to drop a project that’s going to disrupt things! I’m excited to share this project with everyone. I’m working with a lot of incredible producers on the project and we have some collabs that’ll get ya’ll talking. We have a couple projects coming next year, I’m not sure if the first one will be the album, I might need to set the stage for that. Let’s make one thing clear - Rappers be afraid!!
(TS) What do you think is the next challenge for you musically? A corner you feel you need to turn to advance to the next level or higher plateau.
(Los) I’ve been focusing a lot on what makes records resonate with the masses and how to apply those qualities in my music while still staying true to who I am as an artist.
(TS) Give me the ultimate King Los musical production. The producer, the featured artist or artists, and what the songs theme would need to be.
(Los) With me it’s not necessarily who made the track or who performed on the track but more of what you feel when you hear the track. I hope to someday come across what I feel is the ultimate musical production and when I do I’ll have to let you know. I would imagine the theme would have to be something that inspires.
(TS) What is the mission statement – the King Los declaration – summarizing the storm ahead? I see the clouds moving in.
(Los) The mission statement is to inspire and motivate. No matter what we may face there is nothing that we cannot overcome. Music is the universal language and I plan to continue to use it to get this message across.
(TS) Let’s close with an assessment of power. Women are attracted to power. Your opposition is afraid of power. Power can also empower. Power can be destructive and addictive. Being the hottest out right now, making a lot of money and having a lot of influence - you are in a position of power. Any fear that you may become addicted to it or lose control of it?
(Los) Nah, I’m not fearful of becoming addicted to or losing the position I’m in. If anything I’m motivated by it. You’re absolutely right though power can be both addictive and destructive and I like to think I’ve seen enough of both to avoid those pitfalls.
Follow King Los on Twitter & IG
Watch King Los Freestyles on Hot 97 & Sway + Y&R