Not much is out there on one of Bad Boy's most recent signees, Baltimore rapper LOS. To fix that, we thought we'd sit down with him and get to know him a bit.

Before he was with Bad Boy, he was with Da Bloc, Inc., along with Skarr Akbar and D.R.O.P.

Where does the name LOS come from?

It’s actually my original name. It’s a nickname that’s been with me forever. People in my family call me LOS. That’s my name for real, it’s not made up, it’s not an acronym.

What’s it short for?

Carlos.

How did you meet up with Diddy?

Basically, I had a series of meetings in New York with different people who were interested and looking for new talent, like Sony. I met Beanie Sigel. I met with Dame Dash. I was getting a lot of good reviews from these people. Everyone that met me was pleased with what they heard. They were looking forward to doing more business.

Through that process, I met somebody in Philly named Sadiq who was real cool with Puff. He set it up, basically, so I could meet Puff. I met Puff face to face. I did my thing for Puff. And that’s how I got with him.

Were you signed on the spot or did it take some time to negotiate?

The interest was there from the spot, as far as him wanting to do the deal and everything. That was initial, that was on the spot, like “yeah, we definitely want to do this.” Actually signing took a month or two, actually, to negotiate everything and go over all of the terms of agreement and actually wrap the whole contract up.

In preparation for the interview, I was seeing what I could find out about you online and I came across an article that said that you had been on Making the Band or had tried out for Making the Band or something like that. Is that true?

Yeah, I actually did the first Making the Band. I made the band and, through the process, I decided that that’s not really the look that I wanted. I didn’t want to be in a group, really. I’m not really a group kind of person, more solo artist.

I just didn’t like the whole vibe of it, of the whole band thing. I didn’t like the whole clash of the personality’s thing. So, I kind of just strayed away from that and I left. I kind of left the situation wide open. I just left it.

I got a call back like “why did you leave?” and all of this other stuff, but I just wasn’t feeling that whole band thing.

Did you get to the house or how far did you get in the process? Did they cut you out of the show?

What happened was that I didn’t sign the MTV release form. I didn’t put my signature on anything. I received a contract and all of this stuff and I didn’t really know what any of that meant. So, I didn’t want to put my name on anything that I was going to regret.

All of the episodes that I was in, they had to find a way to cut me out and not put me on there for legal reasons, so that I couldn’t come back and ask them to edit something out that I didn’t want shown. I just didn’t put my name on anything, so they didn’t have the rights to release anything on me.

I made it all the way to where they pick the final members of the band.

The other thing I saw about you online was somebody posted a message about you battling Cassidy years ago and winning.

Oh, yeah. That’s online? Gosh.

Yeah, me and Cassidy battled. This was when DMX was real strong. He came out with the single called “We Right Here.” They filmed it in Baltimore.

So, the Ruff Ryders and Swizz and a lot of them dudes came to Baltimore to film and support X. And Cassidy was with them. I really didn’t know much about him at that time because Cassidy didn’t really have a lot of fame at that time.

But, he was, I guess, their new, hot artist. I guess he had been battling dudes and winning a lot of battles and beating a lot of guys. So, they had confidence in what he could do at that point.

And I had been doing my thing at the local level, going around battling dudes. I never really lost a lot, so I was confident in what I could do. It was just a class of the titans and we just went at it. I came out victorious in that. The story will never go any other way if you hear it. Everybody came to the conclusion that I won that joint. It was hard, but it was crazy. I came out on top of it.

Cassidy actually said something in an interview, not that long ago, about a guy he battled. He was talking about how it had only been one guy who ever gave him a challenge. He made some comments about that and I knew it had to be that situation because that isn’t something you just forget. It was intense.

So, you’re signed with Bad Boy, but you are also on Da Bloc, Inc.’s website. What’s your relationship with them?

That’s my independent label. That’s the first label I ever ate with. The only label I ever ate with, besides Bad Boy. That’s the label that was founded in Baltimore. I’ve been with them since the beginning and we’re like a family. So, they’re just people that will always be a part of me and with me.

So, are you stilled signed with them; is it a joint venture with Bad Boy?

Yeah. Our production deal is through Da Bloc, Inc. and I’m signed to Bad Boy as an artist.

Are you a producer as well?

No, the production deal meaning that they will basically produce the album.

We heard a bit of you on “Show Down” by Cheri Dennis. Have you worked with any other Bad Boy artists so far?

I worked with Ness. I worked with Aasim. Me and Babs are supposed to be doing some things together, we’re real cool. I worked with Mario Winans, in and out of the studio. We real cool, I’m real cool with everybody from Bad Boy. Pretty cool with Joc. Me and Cheri Dennis actually wrote that “Show Down” song together. Matter of fact, Cheri Dennis is like my sister, we’re real close.

But, yeah, I definitely work with the Bad Boy artists. Definitely. That’s like a family over there.

As a music fan, who are your favorite artists?

That’s an easy one. Definitely Notorious B.I.G. Definitely 2Pac. Definitely Big L. Definitely Big Pun. Beanie Sigel and Jay-Z. Eminem.

When did you decide that you wanted to be a rapper or to be in the music industry?

I didn’t start rapping until I turned 18. That’s the first time I really ever rapped.

I didn’t want to be a rapper right away. I just started rapping at 18, so it wasn’t like I had this dream of being a rapper. It was something that kind of just happened. My talent level at the point at which I started, the level of talent that I already had - to some people, it was just amazing. Like “wow, you just started rapping and you’re this good” or “maybe you should try to go further with this.” It was always suggested by an outside audience.

It just got to the point where it was like “wow, I really do have to do something good” because this is a gift. It’s not just that I’m cocky, it’s like I’m really good, so I should do something.

I played basketball really my whole life. I still do play ball, but I had ambitions to be a ballplayer. I was really good at ball. I wanted to go to college and play ball. But, I lost my dad when I was like 17. When I just turned 17. And, that kind of killed my ambitions a little bit.

It kind of discouraged me a little bit, as far as playing ball. I shied away from it a little bit. Through that, I started expressing myself lyrically. Or, you know, I started using that to express the way I felt. I just always felt that when he passed away, he gave me the gift of music because it’s not something that I did my whole life. I got it when he passed away. So, I take it serious, like it’s a gift from God and from him, so it’s not something that I take for granted.

You said that you started rapping when you were 18. How old are you?

I’m 25 right now.

When are you hoping to have an album out?

I’m hoping this year. Summer.

Have you started a lot of work on it, yet?

Oh, yeah. I completed 100 songs.

Who are the main artists and producers that you’ve worked with on the album?

I did a few songs with Rell, who is a Roc-a-Fella recording artist. We’re real tight. I haven’t really worked with many artists. I did a song with Cardan. He’s a rapper and a songwriter. He writes for various people in the industry. He’s written for Puff. So, he did a lot of writing for different people.

He used to be with Mase, back in the day. He’s from Harlem. I worked with him when I was in Atlanta. I got some tracks with David Banner. But, I haven’t actually worked with any other major recording artist, yet. All of my songs, basically, I did solo, on a solo tip. I have a song with another artist by the name of Frankie. But, other than that, a lot of my songs are actually by myself.

What I’ll do is I’ll go back and I’ll see what songs have what feels and see who may complement that song to the fullest of its potential. And I’ll collaborate with those artists, according to how they fit.

I got in contact with you through your MySpace page. Do you spend a lot of time on MySpace answering questions?

Whenever I get a chance, I go in and I check my messages because a lot of people have people that do that for them. A lot of people have people that do that for them. They have people at Bad Boy that actually sit around and will do that all day for you. But, I want to be in touch with people. I want to see how people feel. I want the response. I’m a hands on kind of person.

I want to see what people have to say. I want to respond to their comments. I want to answer their questions, because I don’t feel like anybody could answer a question about me better than I can.

So, a lot of times, I go in there and answer questions and people say “oh, I love your music” or “when can I expect something” and I do respond to the people on MySpace, whenever I get a chance, whenever I’m not in the studio or doing something to do with my career. I get on there, I definitely check my messages, answer my friend requests. I do a lot of that stuff.

What’s weirdest question you’ve been asked on MySpace?

I think somebody asked me the other day if I could do a song with Mase, 2Pac, Puffy and somebody else, some other artist. Something that was just ridiculous. I was like, “what?” Something crazy.

Thanks to LOS for taking the time to answer our questions. I wish him a lot of luck.

He told me that he also has a mixtape coming out in the next few weeks called "The Pre-Game Warmup." In other words, the warmup before the big game - the mixtape before the album. Keep an eye on his MySpace page for that.