Another year, another DJ Khaled album with an almost unbelievably stacked tracklist. With I Changed A Lot set to drop in ten days, we've been treated to some of the khlassic Khaled exploits we know and love this week, not only in the form of twin singles featuring Future, Trey Songz, Fetty Wap, Chris Brown, August Alsina and Jeremih, but also more of the inspirational/aspirational/motivational videos the Miami mainstay is known for.
Contrary to the new album's title, this is the Khaled we've known since "We Takin' Over" became a huge hit in 2007: the outsized personality, the songs that are heavy on star power but light on substance, and the perhaps unintentionally hilarious antics. But the truth is, 39-year-old born Khaled bin Abdul Khaled has lived a crazy life that's taken him from the bottom to where he is now. He may get clowned for "not really being a producer," or his ridiculous ad-libs, but he's seen it all in ways that few people in the industry have. With his DJing career kicking off in the early '90s, there are tons of facts and stories about Khaled that are unknown to the general public. These ten are the best, as is only right for Khaled.
He was in the room when Birdman met Lil Wayne
10 Things You Didn't Know About DJ Khaled
One of Khaled's first gigs was working in a New Orleans record store called Odyssey Records. In 1993, he happened to be present on a day when Baby and Slim, founders of Cash Money Records, hosted an autograph session and were introduced to a 10-year-old Dwayne Carter Jr., who freestyled for them. Read more about the encounter in Ben Westhoff's Southern rap history book, "Dirty South."
He used to be in Terror Squad
10 Things You Didn't Know About DJ Khaled
Khaled joined the Big Pun and Fat Joe-helmed group a few years after the former had already passed away, part of a new wave of members that also included production greats Cool & Dre. Khaled took on the name "Terror Squadian" (a regrettable choice), and though he appears not to have been involved with any of the group's actual releases, his debut album arrived in 2006 under a "Terror Squad Presents" heading. Here's a video of him repping the squad back in the day.
