DJ Khaled talks about music in his life: ‘God blessed me with the passion to live with music’

The music world is filled with self-made people, and DJ Khaled will never let anyone forget that he is one. Amid 15-plus years of gold and platinum albums, chart-topping collaborations with famous friends including Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Drake, Rihanna, Kanye West, longtime friends Lil Wayne and Rick Ross and even Justin Bieber, he is actually best known for his ubiquitous, boastfully self-referential shout-outs — to himself, in the third person — and his “We the best!” verbal branding.

Love it or hate it, you can’t avoid or forget it — and Khaled is as self-aware as he is self-referential. From online memes of fans’ favorite Khaled jokes or mispronunciations to comedian Aziz Ansari impersonating the DJ’s boasts during his 2022 Netflix stand-up special, people talk about Khaled almost as much as he does himself.

The 46-year-old’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star, which he will receive April 11, is a reflection of his decades of working his way up from humble beginnings as the New Orleans-born son of Palestinian immigrants to a record-store employee, radio DJs, and stars. Khaled’s voice drops to a modest tone before ramping up to hype-man volume. (He speaks as on his songs in real life.)

“Everyone who does great work wants greatness back,” he says. Are honors or awards my motivation? No. My drive is that I started from nothing, made it this far, and continuing growing. Parenting two kids pushes me. Becoming a nice man and supporting my family and children drives me. I’m thankful for God’s gifts. Being awarded a star is a blessing. Getting a Walk of Fame star, Grammy, or No. 1 record call—I wake up every day thinking, ‘We’re No. 1!’ I appreciate the Hollywood Walk of Fame star, which recognizes my accomplishments. I like getting calls about stars, Grammys, and No. 1 albums.

DJ Khaled, with wife, Nicole Tuck, and children, Asahd and Aalam, says having a family changed his focus: “It’s all about my family and their future.”

As he prepares for his next album, which features new artists like Lil Durk and old pals like Rick Ross, Khaled says that an upbeat mindset and strong work ethic are key.

He continues, “Life calls upon us to be great, so let’s be the best of the best,” pounding his chest like a proud motivational speaker. “I wake up No. 1 every day.”

One of Khaled’s early friends and collaborators, Ross, recalls, “There were always a lot of things to like about him, but preeminent among those was that he always busted his ass.” He did radio during the day and mixtapes at night, going to three or four clubs. He was everywhere. Both of us worked hard. Even now.”

Despite his constant self-promotion, Khaled Mohammed Khaled, born in New Orleans on Nov. 26, 1975, says having a family changed his focus from music to life.

It’s no longer about him—it’s about his family and their future. “I hope my children are inspired by what their daddy has done to be great, help people, and always achieve their goals and dreams.”

His parents’ hard work inspired Khaled to dream big and work hard.

As a little lad in Louisiana and Florida, I knew I would scale a mountaintop huge. He says he understood it would be hard labor. I believed I was amazing and could be better. Faith in God allowed that. That was feasible because I trusted my parents. We planned to do it big.”

His passion of music began with his parents’ traditional West and South Asian music, which can be heard in his songs today, and then with ’80s and ’90s hip-hop, which he obsessed about as a teenager.

He explains, “When you love something as much as I love music, it never feels like work.” I longed for the passion to connect to something amazing. I still do. I pray for the world and for God to illuminate my friends and me.”

He learnt that success sometimes requires more than hard effort and self-confidence. He whispers that his parents’ business idea “just didn’t work out,” forcing him to work twice as hard as a teenager.

He explains, “I had to man up early, work for respect and take care of my mother and father, my family. My parents told me, “Work for your respect, work for what’s yours.”

He left New Orleans and the record stores he worked in, including Odyssey, where he met future collaborators Lil Wayne and Birdman, to Miami, where he DJed in clubs and co-hosted “The Luke Show” with 2 Live Crew’s Luther Campbell on 99JAMZ-FM before starting his own radio show and joining Fat Joe’s Terror Squad (who had a hit with 2004’s “Lean Back”).

Khaled credits his parents’ hard work for inspiring his own work ethic.

Ross, rapper, producer, Maybach Music Group founder, and Khaled’s oldest friend, adds, “He was our local club DJ.” K rose from the clubs to radio and always earned the respect of artists, whether they were national stars like J. Lo and Lil Wayne or local underground talents like myself and Pitbull. He balanced everything and showed us love and fraternity. If you were an artist with a dream, you knew you had to work with him.”

Khaled was unusual because he merged American hip-hop with Caribbean, Latin, reggae, dancehall, soul, funk, jazz, rock, and West Asian music on turntables, radio, and albums. He has maintained this foundation across his 12 albums, from 2006’s “Listennn … the Album” until 2021’s “Khaled Khaled.”

“God blessed me to love all music, especially Arabic music—dancing to it, going to family events and having it run through everything,” he says. “An Arabic wedding is music, music, music, wall-to-wall, beginning to end—that inspired me.”

He explains, “hip-hop was the first vinyl that I collected,” with childlike delight. That and cassettes. When I acquired my first turntable and mixed all that music, it made sense. When I started DJing and producing, I loved the notion of mixing all those sounds.”

He was able to incorporate his diverse musical background into his performing, promoting, and creating.

Hip-hop mixes jazz, soul, rock, and Arabic. When I was 8 or 9, I loved music, but I’ve always combined all of that in my thoughts. Scratching and sampling were my skills by 12 and 13. I could play the keyboard, drum machine, and produce by 16.

Drake (left) and Khaled have created a lot of hits together, including “Popstar.”

Was there a hip-hop record that boosted it for him?

He immediately answers, “Run DMC’s ‘Peter Piper,’” referring to the 1986 song. That record’s breaks and change-ups made it great for producers and DJs. The artists’ performance was fantastic! I knew I wanted to do it when I saw them. That album is a DJ’s dream, but Reverend Run, DMC, and Jam Master Jay made ‘Peter Piper’ real for me. This made hip-hop real to me. Genuinely, I loved it.

“Plus, all my friends were into it—we were born into hip-hop.”

Ross and Khaled, both 46, released their debut albums in summer 2006, with Khaled’s “Listennn … the Album” debuting at No. 12 in June and Ross’ “Port of Miami” debuting at No. 1 in August.

The rapper has participated on every Khaled album, usually with three or four tracks. “We came up together, and I had confidence in what he wanted to do,” Ross adds. “That was natural, right? On the same day, we were at the Hit Factory, Cool & Dre’s studio, or Po Boy Studios, him behind me or me behind him, and we started talking about creativity. I wrote him a rhyme to show him what I thought of a rhythm when he asked.

Khaled’s music is about camaraderie and partying with friends. DJ Khaled albums are about relationships, starting with Wayne and Birdman (who introduced him to Drake), Ross and Trick Daddy, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, and more recently Cardi B, Post Malone, and Justin Bieber.

“My relationships are crucial to me, way more important than making a record,” he explains. “I know most of these friends from the start. Before they were famous, I broke their records as a DJ. We developed mutual respect as I pursued my profession and aspirations as an artist and producer.”

Ross shares that sentiment. “We both have been at the bottom of that bucket, and have earned our ways to the top,” he continues. Khaled’s contribution to the game is true when I see him develop partnerships beyond ours and have No. 1 tracks that respond to clubs, radio, and live festivals. Feel it. Khaled gets so excited working with me on all his albums throughout the years that it feels like we’re both unsigned and hungry. He’ll have an exciting beat and phone me around 1 or 2 a.m. I’ll take the mic at 3 a.m., and he’s moving like it’ll hit Spotify by 7! Our tracks on ‘Listennn…’ and ‘Khaled Khaled.’ share the same mood. Although we’re older, it’s still pure.”

Khaled collaborators Nas (left) and Jay-Z flank the artist.

Khaled points to the sky and says, “Greatness finds greatness.” Winners work together. That yields only the best. Everyone with me knows I love working with them and want to hit a home run every time. I always give my all.”

Much of that labor happens before the artist speaks. “That way, if they love it, the excitement they feel at that moment goes into the track,” he explains. You must record something amazing with Kanye or Beyoncé. When I call, they must know what’s coming. You must work hard to create an anthem.

But he adds gently, “Really, if you don’t go big with all these artists, you might not get another chance. So I give every artist 1 trillion percent of me in the studio. I expect nothing less from these artists because that’s the only way to approach them. My friends and artists record whenever they want, but I don’t. I need constant inspiration and motivation. That way, when we record and I distribute it, these tracks will last. Want these songs to last forever.”

Jay-Z, Ross, and Bieber sound very different on Khaled’s recordings, demonstrating that unusual dynamic.

“You’re right—what they’re doing for me, they’re not doing on their own records,” he boasts. Different and elevating—I’ll use that! And they participate. It must capture a moment. Ten years from now, remember where you heard it and what was happening. Maybe you attended Super Bowl. Maybe you graduated. Maybe you were on vacation or a yacht. DJ Khaled songs bring back that moment. Anthems are fantastic because they’re climactic.”

Khaled made a cameo appearance at the 2022 Oscars in a bit with the show’s hosts Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall.

In his best work, he tries to convey the sense of occasion. “I always want to give the audience a show, a deep experience is what I’m inviting them to,” he says. “So I treat my records like a big show with you. The idea is that. Hooks, bars, and themes must stand out when an artist records with me. Whether in clubs or on headphones, it must sound and feel like you’re in a stadium alongside these musicians and me.

Ross credits Khaled’s unique production skills to his record store and DJ background. “Khaled just has this knack for putting exciting samples together,” he explains. “He knew what radio needed after all those years in radio. I sell, but I’m still an underground artist who knows how to keep the have-nots respecting me.”

Even after achieving success, why does he still need to promote himself on his hits, even as a featured artist?

Khaled laughs and recalls being informed early in his career that no DJ or producer had ever made a successful solo record.

“I heard that and I wanted to challenge that,” he thinks. As a kid, I had no Instagram, Twitter, or Zoom to do this interview. I had to quickly introduce myself and tell individuals they were getting a No. 1, then another. When I spoke at clubs, I used my name. ‘What was that?’ I wanted people to leave thinking my mixes were good. DJ Khaled’s track. They presumably saw me play another club since they recalled my name. Same with recording. How will I stand out? With my identity.

Kanye West and Khaled enjoying a moment in the studio.

“It’s not just my tag,” he says, gaining momentum. “It elevates songs. We shout ‘DJ Khaled!’ and ‘We the best!’ on every album to remind you who made everything. This makes each song and us larger. My aspirations are as high as the kids listening to these records. Kids yell ‘DJ Khaled!’ Since sound is both thing and identity. All of us are the finest! Another one! You too. Here we come! Everyone is the finest! We elevate daily. We grow together—the record and us.”

Such passion requires self-belief, energy, and goodwill. “I’m doing everything with love,” he says. “We start positive. We all have bad days, but why dwell on them? What a waste. Be bright. Why would I want anything less than best? I enjoy the light every day. Do something fantastic with a bad day.”

At his current rate, he’ll surpass his Hollywood celebrity.

Khaled giggles. “It’s like Nike’s ‘Just Do It,’ it’s Air Jordan and Michael Jordan,” he continues, briefly mentioning his sneaker collaboration with Jordan later this year. I want to motivate everyone to be #1. In times like this, the news, pandemic, and social media are lies. The reality is you. Please know we’re the greatest. Every morning, I pray, kiss my family, look in the mirror, and declare, ‘We are the best.’ It’s been part of my life all along. Always knew that would be my brand and label name. Wake up and choose your own motivation to be amazing. A love chant is ultimate self-care.

“So when I get that star on the Walk of Fame, we all get that star,” he says. No need to want to be No. 1—you already are. You have that Walk of Fame star.”