DJ Khaled, the man behind hits such as “Out Here Grindin’ †and “We Takin’ Over†has recently been named president of Def Jam South.
Def Jam, a pinnacle of hip-hop history and arguably one of the most successful labels around, has had its fair share of big name execs, including former president Jay-Z and the last man to run Def Jam South, Houston rapper Scarface. Although the instatement of Khaled to this position comes as a shock to most, with the hierarchy of the once-legendary label constantly in question, as well as the current state of the music industry, a lot of people probably saw this one coming.
Khaled’s claim to fame is not the number of songs he’s produced (five) but his signature “We da best!†rants at the beginning of every record and music video he’s managed to weasel his way into. He looked as if he was shocked himself during an MTV interview discussing his new job.
“At the end of the day it’s always about the music,†Khaled said. “Because it’s always about the people, and that’s what we represent, the people.â€
As little talent as I believe Khaled possesses, he deserves credit for his business savvy. He’s consistent and is able to earn himself platinum records by doing little to no work himself other than finding artists to rap over other producers’ beats. In essence, he’s simply a highly paid mix tape DJ. However, it seems to work to his benefit because he’s sold over 800,000 units, hardly lifting a finger himself to promote any project. He lets the clout of the superstars he features carry the weight.
But, as the world turns and Def Jam is rearranged, Khaled will be lucky to keep his job long enough to sign another artist or oversee the production of a hit record because, like Khaled said, “It’s always about the people.†Pretty soon the people will notice Khaled’s tendency to ride coat tails to places of power and send him to the unemployment line with other former record execs.
Landon Antonetti is a journalism junior and production manager for WRFL.
You are a certified hater. Khaled develops the concepts for the songs, puts the right people together to create the right chemistry to create the right hit. That is the definition of an executive. You’re a clown…and hater. I hope you do well Khaled.