Before DJ Khaled said a single word after emerging from behind the curtains at NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, he whipped his iPhone out–encased with a neon red-orange case that’s becoming as ubiquitous as he now is–and took a couple Snapchats with the crowd, apparently one of the biggest music journalist and podcaster Elliott Wilson‘s CRWN interview series has ever amassed. At a later point in Khaled and Wilson’s conversation, Khaled will somewhat awkwardly reveal that he tried to appear in an episode of CRWN last year, before his Snapchat antics propelled him into the A-list stratosphere. For now, he’ll settle with his episode being the one that, coincidence or no coincidence, is the first to air on MTV.
For several years, Khaled’s existence in the Hip Hop game was a mystery to many. The New Orleans-born DJ rose to prominence in the early 2000’s as a signature member of Fat Joe‘s Terror Squad crew, then blossomed into an important figure of his own in 2006 with the release of his debut album, Listennn…. Nearly every year afterwards, Khaled was responsible for a mega hit, from “We Takin’ Over,” touted by many as one of the great highlights of Lil’ Wayne‘s game-changing 2007, to “I’m On One,” an inescapable smash featuring a still-green Drake that went on to be one of the biggest rap hits of 2011. In recent years, the enigma has dissipated significantly. Khaled isn’t necessarily the producer of record, nor is he penning these songs behind the scenes. Khaled is responsible for providing exactly what his singles have become: moments. At one point, when Wilson and Khaled get down to the nitty-gritty on just how “I’m On One,” which remains Khaled’s highest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100, came about, Khaled reminisces on how he and Drake tussled briefly over the inclusion of the track’s opening ad-libs, which feature a muffled Drake singing “Get ’em up!” “Drake wanted to take that out, I’m like, ‘are you crazy? No! That’s like the best part of the song’.” At any given DJ Khaled set today, when “I’m On One” comes on, you can hear people in the crowd singing those muffled lyrics at the top of their lungs. Moment achieved.
#CRWN @divadstudios A photo posted by @elliottwilson on
The biggest takeaway from CRWN, which you’ll likely pick up during tonight’s airing, is Khaled’s particular brand of humility, which sounds paradoxical. How could someone who’s rejuvenated his career taking selfie videos and showing off his sprawling acreage possibly be humble? As Khaled puts it, his humility isn’t something that he’s just begun promoting. It’s the very reason he’s been able to maintain the relationships that have helped him sustain an 8-album career–9 if you count Major Key, his new album releasing this year–which is abnormally long for a DJ. When the news of his being the opening act on Beyonce‘s Formation World Tour, a tidbit that had just been announced that morning, came up in conversation, Elliott Wilson prodded Khaled a bit, and asked if he approached either his new manager Jay Z–“might know ’em”–or Beyonce about the opportunity, and Khaled incredulously looked at Wilson, then the crowd, then back at Wilson. “You don’t go up to Beyon…” Khaled paused and started again. “YOU DON’T GO UP TO BEYON…AND ASK…” He could barely get the words out in between scoffs, drawing loud cackles from the crowd, who had been watching Wilson and Khaled talk for at least an hour but had yet to disengage.
CRWN will air on MTV2 at 11 p.m. ET tonight.
