DJ KHALED HISTORY

                     DJ KHALED HISTORY

Who Is DJ Khaled?

 Originally known as Arab Attack, DJ Khaled is a record producer, radio personality and DJ who has produced 10 studio albums of his own since 2006, the latest being Grateful (2017), which has spawned his first no. 1 single "I'm the One." As a music producer, he's collaborated with artists such as Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Kanye and Nicki Minaj. As a Louisiana native, he became president of Def Jam Records South in 2009 and also co-founded the record label We the Best Music Group.  

Born and Raised in Louisiana

 Born as Khaled Mohamed Khaled on November 26, 1975 in New Orleans, Louisiana, DJ Khaled was exposed to music at a young age. His Palestinian parents were musicians who encouraged their son's love for rap and soul music. He has a brother, Alec Ledd (Alla Khaled), who is an actor. 

How DJ Khaled Became Famous

 Khaled began working in record stores, helping artists like Lil Wayne and Birdman in their music careers before they made it big. After jumping into the DJ circuit, Khaled moved to Miami in 1998 where he began working in radio, co-hosting with Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew on The Luke Show on WEDR "99 Jamz." A few years later he snagged his own weeknight radio show at the station. Throughout his career, he has gone through many monikers: Arab Attack, Terror Squadian, Beat Novacane, Big Dog Pitbull and Mr. Miami, to name a few. As a music producer, he's worked on rap and hip-hop albums like True Story by Terror Squad, Real Talk by Fabolous, and All or Nothing by Fat Joe .

From 'Listennn... the Album' to No. 1's 'Major Key' and 'Grateful'

 In 2006 Khaled released his debut album entitled Listennn... the Album, which successfully reached no. 12 on the Billboard 200 charts. A year later he also received attention for the release of his sophomore album We the Best, which featured chart topping singles like "I'm So Hood" and "We Takin Over," collaborating with notable artists like Rick Ross, Akon, T.I., Fat Joe and Lil Wayne. Riding on a wave of success, Khaled launched his own record label, We the Best Music Group, and became president of Def Jam South in 2009. 

 In 2010 Khaled's single "All I Do I Win," featuring the likes of Ludacris and Snoop Dogg, went double platinum as he continued to work his magic collaborating with big stars and churning out albums, which include We the Best Forever (2011), Suffering from Success (2013), I Changed A Lot (2015) and Major Key (2016), which gave him his first no. 1 album in his career. In 2017 his tenth studio album, Grateful, became his second album to hit no. 1 and included his very first no. 1 single "I'm the One," featuring Justin Bieber and rappers Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne. 

Snapchat Turns Khaled into a 'Living Meme'

Khaled's larger-than-life personality has made him an Internet sensation. In 2015-2016 his Snapchat videos went viral via a YouTube channel, in which he discusses how to achieve success. 

Other Ventures

 2016 was a big year for Khaled. He not only became a father to a son with fianceé Nicole Tuck, but he also authored the book The Keys and became a spokesperson for Ciroc. In October 2017 Khaled and Demi Lovato announced plans to go on tour together, and he also recently signed on to be one of four judges, which includes P. Diddy (aka 'Brother Love') in the upcoming Fox reality-singing competition called The Four, which is slated for January 2018.

How DJ Khaled revived his career and captured the pop charts on the strength of his marketing

 In October 2015, DJ Khaled's eighth album, "I Changed a Lot," debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard album chart, moving an unremarkable 19,000 copies in its first week.

It was the lowest-selling album of Khaled's career.

The LP's tepid performance suggested that the once-ubiquitous Miami DJ — who boasted several platinum-selling hip-hop posse cuts ("We Takin' Over," "All I Do Is Win," "I'm on One") between 2007 and 2011 — had steadily lost his tastemaker's touch in popular culture. 

Everything changed in December 2015, when Khaled got lost on a jet ski in the Atlantic Ocean and took to Snapchat to document his journey to safety. Khaled's footage of the event went viral, and he became a Snapchat phenomenon.

 Now, with over six million followers on Snapchat, Khaled's daily presence on the app and other social media has proven to be a colossally rejuvenating marketing tool for the 41-year-old producer.

In July 2016, buoyed by his millions of new followers and revived visibility, Khaled rode a wave of popularity to his first number-one album, "Major Key."

On the strength of his biggest single to date, "I'm the One," his new tenth album "Grateful" (out this Friday) is looking like it will be the blockbuster event of his career.

He has turned Snapchat and social media into a powerful marketing force.

 By rapidly accumulating over 15 million followers across Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram, DJ Khaled has been able to resurrect a career that appeared somewhat lifeless just two years ago. 

Deemed the "King of Snapchat" by Coca-Cola Senior VP for Content Emmanuel Seuge, Khaled has used the app to share self-help advice dotted with his many catchphrases ("Major Key," "We the Best," "Bless Up"), promote various consumer products, and tease behind-the-scenes studio updates.

"Being authentic always wins," Khaled told CNBC last week of his social-media presence. "When people see somebody that is just real, they love it. It ain't no act. It ain't no fake."

He's gone after the biggest names in the industry with "persistence."

 Since he released his first album "Listennn..." in 2006, Khaled has routinely attracted hip-hop stars like Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Drake. But to get the upper-upper-echelon artists — namely JAY-Z, Beyoncé, and Rihanna — he's had to put in years of effort and networking.

I spoke to Khaled briefly last year and asked him to elaborate on how he bought a condo and stayed in New York for a year just to get a verse from JAY-Z on his 2015 single "They Don't Love You No More."

"Yeah. I stayed in New York for a year to pull that off. Persistence and passion and dedication," he told Business Insider of the effort. "It's something I wanted to do for myself and the culture and the fans. It's JAY-Z. All his verses are forever."

Jay would go on to feature with rapper Future on Khaled's 2016 single "I Got the Keys" and with his wife, Beyoncé, on Khaled's 2017 single "Shining."

He's moved away from making traditional hip-hop and forged inventive pop hits.

 Lil Wayne, Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and DJ Khaled (L-R) in 2017's "I'm the One" video 

Known for most of his career for facilitating conventional hip-hop group tracks, Khaled has moved more toward the mainstream this year by assembling a diverse collection of artists for innovative pop singles that sound like nothing he's made before. 

Khaled's single "I'm the One," featuring Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne, Quavo, and Justin Bieber, became his first ever No. 1 single in May.

His most recent single "Wild Thoughts" pairs him with pop superstar Rihanna for the first time ever and features R&B singer Bryson Tiller and a guitar sample from Carlos Santana.

He had a son and made the kid a human meme.

 The two album covers for "Grateful," Khaled's new album.We The Best

Khaled turned heads and raised eyebrows in October 2016 when he took to Snapchat to document the entire birth of his first son, Asahd.

In the following months — in yet another genius, though slightly concerning, marketing ploy — Khaled has essentially turned Asahd into a human meme.

His infant son frequently appears on all of Khaled's social-media accounts, and each of Khaled's 2017 singles has featured Asahd in various adorable poses in the artwork.

The two album covers for Khaled's new album "Grateful" find Asahd — the "executive producer" of the album — sitting in a gold chair and lounging in a hot tub.