|
DJ Khaled - Its Just Crucial
Interview By: Kevin L. Clark
 DJ Khaled has a booming voice. The radio and mix tape DJ had major radio and television success with the release of his first album ‘Listennn... The Album’. Almost an exact year later, Khaled hopes to continue with his burgeoning success by releasing ‘We The Best’ (Terror Squad/Koch). Fueled by the huge single, “We Takin’ Over” with Akon, Fat Joe and a huge cast of characters, Khaled is looking to make his album title the new slogan within hip-hop.
 The New Orleans-to-Miami transplant has been one the main players behind Miami resurgence as a hip-hop powerhouse. With features from Rick Ross, Flo Rida and production from The Runners, Scott Storch and Cool & Dre, ‘We The Best’ serves as a statement to be made for the streets and the clubs.
Always the businessman, DJ Khaled sits down with NobodySmiling.comas he talks about the new album, gives his thoughts on the South’s uprising with Rick Ross and Flo Rida and gives his take on the Scott Storch/Timbaland beef.
NobodySmiling.com: Was the South’s impact on hip-hop inspiration behind the title of your new album, ‘We The Best’…?
DJ Khaled: We The Best is my new album. It drops on June 12th and it’ll be in stores everywhere. The album is representing unity. Together, we’re the best, you know?! It’s about everyone who is involved in hip-hop and has pulled themselves from the bottom and made it to the top. I put an all-star lineup together. The album has a sound unlike others, so that was the inspiration behind the album.
NobodySmiling.com: How’d you get all those guys together on a track to do “We Takin’ Over”…?
DJ Khaled: With “We Takin’ Over,” I had Danja [Timbaland’s protégé] do the beat. He created exactly what I had wanted him to do. I wanted the sound to be big, the chorus to be big. In order to make it work, though, I had to get Akon to sing the chorus. Once I got him on the track, he set the mood for the rest of the song. Then I got my brothers from another mother, Rick Ross and Fat Joe, to get on there to lay down their verses. Everything came together when I got Birdman and Lil’ Wayne on there with T.I. From then on, it just started to become a monster. When you see the video, you’ll know that it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen, because it’s going to be crazy. It should hit BET and MTV next week. Mark my words, it’ll be the biggest video in the game; it’s a movie. Hell, you can call me after you see the video and we can do another interview and that’s on the real.
NobodySmiling.com: I’m pretty sure you’ve heard Lil’ Wayne’s freestyle over the “We Takin’ Over” beat. Heads are talking about it. What are your thoughts on it?
DJ Khaled: He called me and told me about it. That freestyle is a beast. I loved it because it answered every reporter, every fan, and every critic, everyone who had a question about him, all in one record. That shit was incredible.
NobodySmiling.com: You have a nice arrangement of producers who are featured on this new album. How did you go around picking beats?
DJ Khaled: Well, I have production from Cool and Dre, The Runners and a few others. The Runners, right now, are the number one producers in the game right now. I go into the studio with these guys everyday. Danja did the first single. So, with the producers… man, they’re all big. It’s huge production with this album. I knew what I wanted it to sound like and they gave me the sound that I was looking for. We have joints that were tailor made for the artists.
NobodySmiling.com: Another track that’s starting to get some burn around here is “Birthday,” a track produced by The Runners with Flo Rida and Rick Ross. This kid is building up a buzz. Does talent just leap out at you or is there a certain something that you look for?
DJ Khaled: Flo is out of the Poe Boy camp, he’s really big. You can catch him anywhere down here, making noise. Rick Ross has been in the game for a long time, too, but his time is now. We always knew that he [Ross] was nice. Flo Rida is too. It’s just about being patient and waiting their time. What I see in them is this: I see their swagger, man. They both have incredible swagger. Ross is from the South, but his flow is for everyone. He just has a big voice. Flo Rida is the same and when you hear him nationwide, you’ll understand what we here in Florida, already know.
NobodySmiling.com: Speaking of birthdays, you have your bashes at “The Temple.” Last year had an all-star line-up, what do you got in store for this year?
DJ Khaled: Every year I do it big! My goal is to have “We Takin’ Over” performed live on stage. The other goal is to also make a movie out there.
NobodySmiling.com: So, no 10 foot tall ice sculpture of you for your birthday.
DJ Khaled: [Laughs] I wouldn’t rule that out, but right now, the focus is about June 12th, We The Best !
NobodySmiling.com: With production from Danja Hills [Timbaland protégé] and Scott Storch on the album – what are your thoughts about the beef between the two producers?
DJ Khaled: They’re both my friends. They’re both great guys, really good peoples, you know? I’m not with any type of beef. It’s corny to me. So, when I’m around the both of them, I would say for them to stop the beef.
NobodySmiling.com: You also got down with Loud.com. Can you talk about it?
DJ Khaled: It’s going to be one of the biggest things out there. All of our beats are on there. You get to showcase your skills to other producers in the game and the CEO’s that are out there. You can battle all across the Internet and the world.
NobodySmiling.com: I’ve never been to Miami Beach, but how it looks on television is amazing. Being from New Orleans, what was one of the wildest things that you had ever seen when you first arrived to South Florida?
DJ Khaled: You see some things in them strip clubs in Miami [laughs].
NobodySmiling.com: Florida has champions in football, professional basketball and possible collegiate. If anyone else doesn’t understand why Florida is the best – what would you tell them?
DJ Khaled: If they don’t understand that then they aren’t on this planet! I’m not dissing anybody, but I’m representing the best. I’m about worldwide unity, but the Florida movement that’s going on right now is just crucial. You can get that quality music on my album June 12th.
 (13) Comments | Post a comment »
|
|
