DJ KHALED CAN'T STOP WINNING
Rolling Stone UK|February/March 2024
LATELY, DJ KHALED has been listening to a lot of Jay-Z. Namely The Blueprint, the 2001 opus that helped solidify Hov as a commercial juggernaut in hip-hop.
Jeff Ihaza
DJ KHALED CAN'T STOP WINNING

On an August afternoon in Miami, in the living room of the more-than-12,000-square-foot South Beach mansion he's affectionately dubbed "the Resort", Khaled cues up 'Heart of the City'. He says it's the type of energy that he wants from his upcoming 14th studio album, Til Next Time. The kind of music people play "to motivate themselves, to sing or rap along to," he says. "Anthems." Khaled, 48, has made a life out of motivation.

In the rap community, he's been a reliable source of hits rooted in the rags-to-riches ethos of the genre. All he does is win, as he emphatically told us in 2010, and his hustler's intuition has laid the foundation for a decades-long career working alongside some of the biggest names in music, from Jay-Z and Beyoncé to Drake, Justin Bieber, and Rihanna, Khaled's relentless positivity is by now part of the DNA of popular culture. When you hear him chant his name - stretching the syllables in the word "DJ" to their phonetic limit - you know it's going to be a banger.

Despite being something of an architectural marvel, Khaled's house manages to still feel cosy. Across the room, there are kids toys for his sons Asahd, seven, and Aalam, three, within view, and the family cat, Coco, shuffles pensively around the back hallway. Photos of the family occupy space on pretty much every surface. It's like being at your uncle's house if your uncle had a handful of certified platinum records under his belt.

At home, Khaled makes sure to get dressed up for the occasion of our interview, wearing a Loewe button-down shirt and black trousers, along with a pair of J Balvin Air Jordan 3's. He and the Colombian star recently collaborated on a single called 'Dientes', featuring R&B legend Usher. "He's the biggest hype man in the world," Balvin says of Khaled, before jokingly adding, "And the way he dances is amazing, too." Khaled wears a pristinely lined haircut.

This story is from the February/March 2024 edition of Rolling Stone UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the February/March 2024 edition of Rolling Stone UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM ROLLING STONE UKView All
Suitors and ties
Rolling Stone UK

Suitors and ties

Bridgerton's newest beau Victor Alli on joining the hit Netflix adaptation as the third season begins

time-read
2 mins  |
June/July 2024
Fran Healy
Rolling Stone UK

Fran Healy

Travis’s lead singer on living in Los Angeles — the inspiration behind the band’s forthcoming album L.A. Times — streetfights with strangers and the unifying power of music

time-read
3 mins  |
June/July 2024
THE GREAT GADSBY
Rolling Stone UK

THE GREAT GADSBY

Comedy's enfant terrible Hannah Gadsby is relishing their anti-hero era

time-read
10 mins  |
June/July 2024
"I HAD TO GET OUT OF THIS DOOM HOLE"
Rolling Stone UK

"I HAD TO GET OUT OF THIS DOOM HOLE"

After breaking every record imaginable with mega-hit 'Heat Waves', Glass Animals' Dave Bayley came back down to earth with a bump. Fourth album I Love You So F***ing Much sees him sift through the existential wreckage and focus on the fundamentals

time-read
5 mins  |
June/July 2024
SHABAKA'S NEW CALLING
Rolling Stone UK

SHABAKA'S NEW CALLING

“If I was still playing the sax, it’d be so easy,” the former Sons of Kemet and The Comet is Coming bandleader Shabaka Hutchings admits. On stunning debut album Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace, he turns to the flute and follows a spiritual compulsion to take a new path

time-read
5 mins  |
June/July 2024
GROWING PAINS AND HAPPY ENDINGS
Rolling Stone UK

GROWING PAINS AND HAPPY ENDINGS

OPENING HER HEART IN HER MUSIC HAS HELPED NELL MESCAL BUILD A DEDICATED FANBASE, BUT THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM FOR HOPE TOO, THE 21-YEAR-OLD REVEALS, AS SHE RELEASES HER DEBUT EP

time-read
5 mins  |
June/July 2024
Star Rising
Rolling Stone UK

Star Rising

Currently starring in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Freya Allan broke through playing a princess in TV series The Witcher. But this 22-year-old has her feet firmly on the ground as she sets her sights on the future

time-read
8 mins  |
June/July 2024
The new Doctor Who is in!
Rolling Stone UK

The new Doctor Who is in!

How Ncuti Gatwa went from TV queer idol to making history on the iconic sci-fi show

time-read
5 mins  |
June/July 2024
Toni Sancho's manifesto of hope
Rolling Stone UK

Toni Sancho's manifesto of hope

The London-viaTrinidad singer discusses the power of music in helping her move past depression and uplift others

time-read
3 mins  |
June/July 2024
Making it up as they go along
Rolling Stone UK

Making it up as they go along

Yeti funerals, big-name producers and a fiercely DIY ethic: we meet Mary in the Junkyard, the band making some of the best new rock music in the UK right now

time-read
4 mins  |
June/July 2024