
The musical mastermind discusses fatherhood, how he thinks about success, and why jumpsuits are sexy.
Some people speak in tongues. Some people speak in metaphors. Some people speak in riddles. DJ Khaled speaks in italics. Popโs musical quilt-master is a serial emphasizer. His latest album, Father of Asahd, he tells me, was an impossibilityโgetting that many stars on one album, you try itโand yet, โI DID it.โ So far as why he believes the album was so potent, he adds, โBecause everybody comes with their A Game, or MORE than their A Game.โ
But the stress isnโt just reserved for self-aggrandizement. Sometimesโokay, oftenโheโs merely caught in a state of awe. Heโs impressed by his friend, the celebrity chef Salt Bae, for instance, because he came from nothing, and โNow he owns restaurants all over the worldโฆ The United States, and THE WORLD.โ
Itโs this sort of enthusiastic expression of untarnished wonder thatโs helped make Khaled a superstar personality in his own right. His brazen accentuation transforms the otherwise mundane into grand pronouncements, culture-shaping catchphrases, and widely consumed motivation. Heโs unapologetically loud, bold, and brash, and the culture eats it up. Sure, you might take issue with some of itโits simplicity, the carnival barker of it allโor you might if he didnโt always find his way back to such an undeniably positive message: Love.

Take his legacy. When itโs all said and done, Khaled says he wants to be remembered as โone of the biggest, most powerful moguls.โ But also, โan incredible father, with a family that is beautiful and amazing. Somebody thatโs loved and embraces love.โ He justifies the emphasis.

Raptology: Congratulations! I heard that your wife is pregnant with another child.
DJ Khaled: Yeah, man, Asahd is going to have a brother. Iโm going to have another son, another blessing. God is great. Our familyโs just getting bigger. Ever since I had my son Asahd, life has changed in so many beautiful, great ways. I just appreciate life more, and what real love is. And Iโm just so excited, man. Iโm just excited to have barbecues with my family. Iโm excited to go on family vacations. Iโm excited to work for my family. I love being a father.
I thought it was funny that some headlines said โAnother one!โ
Asahd said โAnother one!โ too. It is. Itโs another one, know what Iโm saying? What I love about my catchphrases is itโs just me being me and itโs natural and the world embraces it.
Have you given any thoughts to names?
We
havenโt officially talked about names because I want to pick the name
closer to his arrivalโIโm thinking the month of. Just because when we
named Asahd it was a feeling, it was a vibe. Asahd in Arabic means Lion.
At that time, and still, there was just a certain energy that Asahd
brought to me and the world, and that name fit perfect. God blessed us
with an incredible name. And we want to just catch the vibe.
Your last album was Father of Asahd. Does that mean you have to make another album with your next childโs name in the title?
_Father
of Asahd came out this year. Itโs doing so amazing, and itโs like we
focused on that album, and when itโs time to make another one, we gonna
know what God wants us to do. Itโs always a vibe. But I can tell you
this: All my albumsโ titles and energies are based on whatโs going on in
my life at that time.
If thereโs one lesson you want to instill in your children, what is it?
The most important lesson is love. God and love. And God is love, and love is God. Just love. My son, I want to see him smile and be happy. When theyโre children at this young age, theyโre supposed to be extremely happy, and I want to keep it like that. So my son is always around me, and heโs around all the energies. I make sure that my energy is incredible for him because I know he learns so fast. If I say something, heโll say it. So being a responsible parent, I say to myself, โI gotta make sure the love is 24 hours around the clock.โ That way, heโll know the difference between love and something else. And if he experiences something else, heโll know thatโs not the right thing.

How did you feel like Father of Asahd, musically, was a step forward for you?
Itโs my biggest album to date. And my album before that was Grateful, and Asahd was a part of that too. And the album before that was Major Key,
and Asahd was in my queenโs belly, and he was a part of that too. So my
last three albums have been my biggest albums, and theyโre going to
continue to get bigger. Not only am I going to make sure I continue
being great, you have to understand the inspiration and the purpose is
higher. And you gotta remember, Iโm experienced. This is my 11th album. So I tell people all the time, with experienceโlook that word up. Experience is a great thing to have.
When you say this album was your biggest, do you equate the size of it with success?
As
a body of work, this is my biggest album. A classic album from top to
bottom. My whole career Iโve put out timeless records. Iโve been part of
your life, and everybodyโs life, for a long time. Iโm the guy who made
โAll I Do Is Win,โ Iโm the guy who made โIโm the Oneโ and โWild
Thoughtsโ and โShiningโโI can keep going. Usually my albums, I would
have two, three big singles and a great album. This album, from top to
bottom, everything was a single.
Itโs not only about numbers. Itโs about the impact in the culture. Itโs about, every time you turn on the TV youโre going to hear โAll I Do Is Win.โ Every time you watch football, basketball, soccer you gonna hear โAll I Do Is Win.โ You watch a movie, you gonna hear one of my records. You turn on the radio, you gonna hear one of my records. DJ Khaled is the anthem king.

I love the โYou Stayโ music video, and my favorite part is when you catch a piece of steak in your mouth. How did that come about?
Salt Bae is my friend, and Iโm a big fan of him. Heโs such a great, great person. Iโm inspired by his story. Heโs a great cook and entertainer and a boss and a mogul. He came from nothing to be where heโs at right now. That just shows you the power of the people and the power of love. I can relate to that. And now he owns restaurants all over theworldโฆ The United States, and THE WORLD. And this man wakes up at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning and works out every single day. And then heโs at his restaurant from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 oโclock at night, every day. And then being an entertainer and being able to inspire and bring happiness to people is such an inspiration. I asked him to be in my video. I was like, โYo, I want to do this one scene. Not only to praise you. I just think itโs boss.โ It fit the video.