DJ Khaled is known in the media space as a beatmaker and rap artist. The musician has not yet decided on the main direction.
"I'm a music mogul, producer, DJ, executive, CEO and artist myself," he once said.
The artist's career began in 1998. During this time, he released 11 solo albums and dozens of successful singles. He is known to many as the star of the social network Snapchat. Her artist used as the main tool of "promotion".
Childhood and youth
In fact, the real name of the famous artist is Khaled Mohamed Khaled. He comes from the American city of New Orleans, located in the state of Louisiana. The artist's parents immigrated from Palestine to the United States a few years before his birth. He also has a brother, Alaa, aka Alec Ledd. He works as an actor. DJ Khaled attended Dr. Philips high. But he could not finish his studies, because his family had serious financial problems.
Music interested Khaled from an early age, as a teenager he already dreamed of becoming an artist. The love for creativity was instilled in the boy by his parents. They often played instruments and came up with different melodies with Arabic motifs. Since the guy liked rap most of all, with the advent of a computer at home, he tried to create the first beats. Mother and father immediately noticed the ambitions of their son. Despite the fact that such activities could be contrary to Muslim traditions, they supported him in all endeavors.
The first successes of DJ Khaled and the development of a musical career
The artist's first step to the big stage can be considered work in a local music store. Here, in 1993, he met up-and-coming rappers Birdman and Lil Wayne. He helped them in writing tracks and made a significant contribution to the formation of their popularity. After being fired from the store, he began performing at parties as a DJ. Its feature was the combination of hip-hop and dancehall.
Soon DJ Khaled invited to one of the pirate radio stations. And already in 2003, he became the host of the program on 99 Jamz. Three years later, the artist released his first album, Listennn… Album. Thanks to recognition, the "promotion" of the record has become easier. Within a week, she was at number 12 on the Billboard 200.
After that, he wrote a number of other albums with rappers such as TI, Fat Joe, Akon, birdman, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Big Boi, Young Jeezy, Busta Rhymes, T Pain, Fabulous, P. Diddy, Jadakiss, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg and Jay Z. Between 2007 and 2016 he released records: We Takin Over, I'm So Hood, All I Do Is Win, I'm on One, Out Here Grindin, I Got the Keys and I Changed A Lot. These albums have either been nominated for or earned BET Hip Hop Awards, gold or platinum certifications.
For five years (2011-2015), the rapper collaborated with the Cash Money Records label. But later he left because of the desire to be an independent artist. In 2016, the world famous rapper Jay-Z became the manager of the artist. Shortly after signing the contract, Major Key's ninth studio album was released. It became the artist's first work to debut on the Billboard 200 chart.
The great success of singles and albums gave the performer income not only from the music industry. DJ Khaled was offered cooperation by the famous Danish company Bang &. Together they launched a limited edition of headphones that were sold worldwide.
The popularity of DJ Khaled. What is the artist doing now?
Grateful's tenth studio album was announced for release in 2017. The following people took part in its recording: Future, Travis Scott, Rick Ross, Migos, Quavo, etc. A few months before the release of the record, the artist released the lead single Shine. In it you can hear the voices of the singer Beyoncé and her husband Jay Z. The composition very quickly became popular on the Internet and took 57th position on the Billboard Hot 100.
Another single that literally "blew up" the Internet was I'm the One. Participated in his recording Justin Bieber and Quavo, Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne. The track had 1,2 billion plays and topped the US charts for a long time. The album Grateful was released in June 2017. It very quickly reached number 1 on the Billboard 200, receiving many positive reviews from critics.
In 2019, the 11th studio album Father of Asahd was released, which took 2nd position in the country's hit parade. The 1st position was occupied by the record of rapper Tyler, The Creator IGOR. DJ Khaled accused Billboard of deliberately not including the record's 100th sales by preventing it from debuting on the chart. According to insider information, he even planned to start a lawsuit.
Over time, the situation improved, and the artist began to work on new tracks. In 2021, the release of the 12th studio album is planned. He will be called by the real name and surname of the rapper, namely Khaled Khaled. The announcement took place in July 2020 and was accompanied by a video trailer (about his life and career, including the birth of his sons Asad and Aalam).
What is known about the family of DJ Khaled?
DJ Khaled is married to Nicole. The couple has two sons, Asad and Aalam. It is noteworthy that they met for 11 years, but did not get married. In 2016, their first son was born. At the time of Assad's appearance, the couple were engaged. DJ Khaled documented the birth of his son on his Snapchat profile, which made him even more popular.
Now the artist's wife is his unofficial manager. Prior to that, in 2011, she launched her own brand ABU Apparel. DJ Khaled was an ambassador for her company for a while, which led to an increase in sales. However, the business soon ceased to generate income, so as not to go into a big loss, the couple decided to close it.
DJ Khaled in 2021
DJ Khaled released his twelfth LP at the end of April 2021. The album was called Khaled Khaled. At least 10 performers took part in the recording of the collection. But Drake, Jay-Z, Nas, Post Malone, Lil Wayne sound especially “delicious”.
