Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975),[1] known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper.[2][3]
Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station 99 Jamz, and translated his popularity by working with hip hop collective Terror Squad as a DJ for their live performances. After gaining production credits on the group's material,[4] Khaled released his debut studio album Listennn... the Album in 2006, which earned gold certification. He followed it with We the Best (2007), which contained the top 20 single "I'm So Hood". His subsequent two releases — We Global (2008) and Victory (2010) — were released after he founded the record label We the Best Music Group. Both albums charted in the top ten on the US Billboard 200, with the latter containing the single "All I Do Is Win", which was eventually certified triple platinum.
His fifth studio album We the Best Forever (2011) also saw similar commercial success, and helped bring Khaled to international prominence, as it featured the song "I'm on One", which was his first top ten hit. His sixth and seventh albums, Kiss the Ring (2012) and Suffering from Success (2013), charted in the top ten on the Billboard 200, and his eighth studio album, I Changed a Lot (2015), peaked at number 12.[5] In 2015 and 2016, Khaled gained worldwide attention as a media personality, due to his activity on social media. This foresaw the release of his ninth studio album Major Key (2016), which gained critical and commercial success; it debuted at number one the Billboard 200, was certified gold, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album.
He released his tenth studio album, Grateful, in 2017, which contained the singles "I'm the One" and "Wild Thoughts", which charted at number one and number two on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was also certified platinum. His eleventh album, Father of Asahd, was released in 2019; it peaked at number two, and the song "Higher" won Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, Khaled's first Grammy award win. His eponymous twelfth album was released in 2021.
Outside of music, Khaled has gained success as a writer, with his book The Keys featuring on the New York Times Best Seller list. He has also featured as an actor, appearing in Spies in Disguise (2019) and Bad Boys for Life (2020).
He made his musical guest debut on Saturday Night Live on May 18, 2019, which is the Season 44 finale, hosted by actor Paul Rudd, where he performs a medley consisting of "Jealous" with Lil Wayne and Big Sean and "You Stay" with Jeremih, Meek Mill, Lil Baby, and J Balvin, "Just Us" with SZA, * "Weather the Storm" with Mill and "Higher" with John Legend, which was dedicated to the late Nipsey Hussle. He also appears in the pre-recorded "Game of Thrones/Grace and Frankie".