There are very few
DJs known for their ability to break records, to introduce a new song into the
infinite loop of music that stays circulating in our heads. Anyone can play a
couple records in succession at a club and have people bouncing, but how many of
those DJs can play a song you’ve never heard before and make it the highlight of
your night? Not many. That’s where Miami’s DJ Khaled comes in. In his own words,
“See, there’s DJs, and then there’s DJ Khaled.”“DJing was always a career to me,” says Khaled. He began experimenting with music at a young age, and as a teenager he hooked up with DJ Nasty and DJ Caesar to form the Hitmen, a ground-breaking hip-hop DJ crew in Central Florida. “I kept going to jail every weekend in Orlando, because my license was suspended, and Orlando is so small that the officers would see me driving and be like ‘Get him!’,” laughs Khaled. He started visiting Miami, and realized that South Florida was still a virgin market. Once he made the move down South, his career began to blossom.
Florida is home to a wide collection of cultures, one of the most diverse states in the country. As the heart of Florida, Miami stays buzzing. In the same way that New York and Los Angeles are notorious for their nightlife, style, celebrity sightings, and music, so is Miami. Khaled runs this city. Five days a week on the radio, a couple nights a week up in the hottest clubs, in the hottest music videos, and breaking the hottest records all the way from Roc-A-Fella to Cash Money, DJ Khaled is truly at the top of the food chain.
Try to interview him backstage at a reggae fest, and it becomes obvious that Khaled has surpassed DJ status. His right hand is cocked and ready to sign autographs for fans that seem to follow him, his grill ready to transform from a concentrated look into a smile to greet groupies, other DJs, adoring fans, or artists. Khaled’s philosophy as to why he’s successful lies within his approachability. “The streets gave me power, man, ‘cause I’m in the streets. I know what the streets want, and they know I ain’t going to give them some whack-ass shit. Khaled don’t play nothin’ but the hottest shit.”
Another aspect of DJ Khaled that sets him apart from many other DJs in the country is his ability to blaze Jamaican dancehall music for the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale areas, home to hundreds of thousands of Jamaican and Caribbean people. We’re not just talking about Khaled being able to spin a hot dancehall song, we’re talking about his ability to completely crossover into that genre of music and become completely accepted and revered for his selections. Khaled is a regular at some of Jamaica’s largest events, which bring masses of over 20,000 people easily! How many popular hip-hop DJs do you know that can rock a crowd of that magnitude in Jamaica? He’s spun at Stainless, Sumfest, and even the legendary Fully Loaded alongside hip-hop and dancehall’s elite! Put Kid Capri or DJ Clue in Jamaica, and I can pretty much guarantee you the reception wouldn’t be quite as good.
Khaled has gained respect amongst Jamaica’s top artists, chillin’ at Bounty Killer’s birthday party and living it up backstage with Buju Banton. It’s hard to stop him when his appeal is this widespread, and don’t think he isn’t responsible for breaking records all the way from Bounty Killer to Sean Paul to Fat Joe. Breaking new records is Khaled’s specialty.
According to Khaled, the formula for breaking the perfect record is putting his own trademark on the song. “I co-sign records, you know, I make that shit happen! I get on the mic, and I’m like, ‘Yo, this shit is raw!’ Once I co-sign on a record, the artist can go ahead and make plans to buy that house or that Bentley. DJ Khaled’s that nigga!”
Now that he’s Florida’s franchise DJ, nothing seems impossible for the ‘Arab Attack.’ Look at all his accomplishments thus far: he’s the hottest DJ on 99 Jamz, the Southern equivalent of Hot 97; Terror Squad’s main threat; the real Miami Heat; and a member of Funkmaster Flex’s legendary, exclusive Big Dawg Pitbulls DJ crew. It’s no wonder Khaled gets as much props as he does, and it’s obvious why both established artists and new artists coming up in the game are constantly trying to reach out to him.
Khaled’s hunger hasn’t been satisfied just yet. With all the benefits of his DJ career, why not just curl up on his money and success and pass out? As with many determined people, when you reach the mountaintop you want to try to conquer more mountains. Even Michael Jordan had to play ball until the last drop of talent seeped from his body.
Khaled is currently setting his sights on spreading his talents in different areas of the music business. He’s thinking of following the path of his Hitman ally DJ Nasty by going the music production route, and also preparing to release a compilation album with unsigned acts and exclusive joints.
Aside from entertainment, Khaled plans to get into real estate. If you want to know how much money you can pull in from selling real estate, all you have to do is turn on E! Television for a glimpse of Donald Trump, his millions, and his huge blinging building. There’s no question if DJ Khaled’s goals are possible, because he’s hands down one of the most influential DJs in the industry today. Even with all the hype surrounding him and the ridiculous hours of his energetic performances, his sets never fall short of my expectations, and I never leave the club without being thoroughly entertained.
- Noel Malcolm (Photo: JB)