Early Career and Radio Work

Khaled began his career by building alliances with emerging artists, promoting talents who would later become major names in the industry, including Mavado, Lil Wayne, and Birdman. He first met Lil Wayne and Birdman in 1993 while working at Odyssey, a record store in New Orleans. After leaving Odyssey, he transitioned to DJing reggae soundclashes and became known for blending hip-hop with dancehall.

His radio career took off when he began working at a pirate station, eventually landing a co-host role on The Luke Show with Luther Campbell on Miami’s WEDR 99 Jamz in 1998. By 2003, he became the host of a weeknight show on the same station. Over the years, he was known by several stage names, including Terror Squadian, Big Dog Pitbull, and Arab Attack—the last of which he discontinued after the September 11 attacks to avoid appearing insensitive.

DJ Khaled's Albums and Music Career

DJ Khaled made his mark as a record producer and artist with the release of his debut album, Listenn... the Album, in 2006. He followed up with a series of successful albums: We the Best (2007), We Global (2008), Victory (2010), We the Best Forever (2011), Kiss the Ring (2012), and Suffering from Success (2013).

In 2015, he released his eighth studio album titled I Changed a Lot, followed by his ninth album Major Key in 2016, which earned him critical and commercial acclaim. DJ Khaled also contributed to other artists’ albums, including Fabolous’s Real Talk, Terror Squad’s True Story, and Fat Joe’s All or Nothing and Me, Myself & I.