| Carlos McKinney | |
| Alias: | Los Da Mystro, LOS |
| Birth Date: | 10 January 1973 |
| Birth Place: | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genre: | R&B, pop, jazz |
| Occupation: | Record producer, musician |
| Instrument: | Piano |
| Years Active: | 1995–present |
| Label: | Radio Killa |
Carlos McKinney (born January 10, 1973), known professionally as Los Da Mystro, is an American record producer and jazz pianist.[1]
McKinney was born into a prominent Detroit jazz family; he is a nephew to pianist Harold McKinney, bassist Ray McKinney, trombonist Bernard McKinney (Kiane Zawadi), and drummers Earl McKinney and Walter Harris. He is a cousin to drummer Ali Jackson and trumpeter Khalil Jackson. His mother, Carolyn McKinney, is a singer, and sister Shani McKinney is a pianist. His younger sister Thema "Tayma Loren" McKinney is an aspiring solo vocalist.
McKinney began studying piano at age four with his uncle Harold; his first professional appearances were with the R&B group Identity Band when he was 12. He studied classical music at the Center for Creative Studies from 1983 to 1991. He also studied harp under Patricia Terry-Ross of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. After studying with Harold and Ray McKinney and Marcus Belgrave, he played with the Legacy Quintet (1989–93) and then attended The New School in New York City (1991–95). He played with Winard Harper (1992–93), Antonio Hart (1992–95), Buster Williams (1993), Wallace Roney (1994–96), Sonny Rollins, Elvin Jones, Steve Turre, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Kenny Garrett and Charnett Moffett. He has played jazz festivals in Europe (from 1992), Senegal (1994), Iceland (1995), and Turkey (1997). His first album as a bandleader was Up-Front (Sirocco Jazz, 2000)
McKinney has worked as an arranger and record producer. He was assistant composer to James Mtume for the TV show New York Undercover from 1995.[2] He then received a contract from Def Jam, where he worked with musicians such as NIKKO, Case, Keithian, Ciara, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Montell Jordan, Kandace Love, Babyface, and Redman.
He has also produced for artists such as The-Dream, J. Holiday, Bobby Valentino, and Jamie Foxx. He produced the hits "Shawty Is Da Shit" by The-Dream, "Bed" by J. Holiday and "I Invented Sex" by Trey Songz featuring Drake in 2009.
In 2013, he won a Grammy Award for his credits and production on the album Unapologetic by Rihanna.
In 2018, Los started working with The-Dream for upcoming Radio Killa Records artist Bria Jhane on her debut album titled "What is Love?".
In early 2019, Carlos contributed with Hitmaka for Chris Brown's "Indigo" album on the song "Sorry Enough". The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States.[3]
With The-Dream
With others
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Artist | Album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Rap | US Pop | UK | CAN | NZ | |||||
| 2002 | "Relax Your Mind" (featuring Faith Evans) | — | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | Boyz II Men | Full Circle | |
| "Episode" (featuring Shells) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Lyric | Lyric | ||
| 2003 | "Hot & Tipsy" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2007 | "Bed" | 5 | 1 | — | 26 | 32 | 92 | 11 | J. Holiday | Back of My Lac' | |
| "Shawty Is a 10" (featuring Fabolous) | 17 | 6 | — | 45 | — | — | 36 | The-Dream | Love Hate | ||
| 2008 | "Can't Find the Words" | — | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | Karina Pasian | First Love | |
| "Trading Places" | 45 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | Usher | Here I Stand | ||
| 2009 | "Hands on Me" | — | 88 | 56 | — | — | — | — | Bobby Valentino | The Rebirth | |
| "Rockin' That Shit" | 22 | 2 | — | 50 | — | — | — | The-Dream | Love vs. Money | ||
| "Walkin' on the Moon" (featuring Kanye West) | 87 | 38 | — | 74 | — | — | — | ||||
| "My Love" (featuring Mariah Carey) | 82 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "I Invented Sex" (featuring Drake) | 42 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | Trey Songz | Ready | ||
| 2010 | "Love King" | 92 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | The-Dream | Love King | |
| 2017 | "Summer Body" (featuring Fabolous) | — | — | — | — | — | The-Dream | Love Affair | |||
| 2018 | "Text Back" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Bria Jhane | TBD | |
| "Fragile" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Bria Jhane | TBD | ||
| "Bedroom Calling" (featuring The-Dream) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Chromeo | Head over Heels | ||
| 2021 | "Automatic" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | TeeFlii | Today | |