Khaled Khaled Khaled

 

The grand return of DJ Khaled happened a couple of weeks ago with the release of his 12th studio album no less, the highly intimately named Khaled Khaled (the artist’s real full name, FYI). Before it even came close to that, the project was already highly anticipated, with last year’s Drake-driven “Popstar” becoming a bit of a sensation (like everything Drake touches, if we’re honest). Finally, the full LP hit the (virtual) shelves with Khaled having teased the full collaborations line-up mere days prior: Cardi B was the last to join an absolutely stellar group of world class rappers, singers and musicians very few projects ever saw…

And this is no exaggeration: where else can you find the likes of Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, H.E.R., Big Sean, Nas, Justin Timberlake, Bounty Killer, both Lil Baby and Lil Durk, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Beyoncé (!), 21 Savage, Rick Ross, Meek Mill… on top of the aforementioned stars and others we didn’t even have the space to give a shout out to! As a music blogger pointed out on our Instagram post celebrating the album getting to #1 on Billboard, the sheer amount of talent would have actually called for an even bigger bang. This week, Khaled Khaled is down to #3, behind Morgan Wallen (who will definitely not fade away) and newcomer Moneybagg Yo…

Also, as the host of US radio show Ebro in the morning pointed out recently, another appealing fact about this album is that it features 14 tracks. “Only” 14, that is: contrary to recent trap records with 20+ songs on them, none of which are bad per se, but some of which could have definitely been considered redundant, this collection of tunes is pretty indisputable. And by that we mean, you might not enjoy them all the same, as they are quite stylistically different for one, but you will clearly find no filler there, DJ Khaled made damn’ sure of that!

From Gospel-inspired opener “Thankful” to the harder beats that follow — special mention to Cardi B’s incredibly infectious “Big Paper”: good think Khaled waited! — to the more RnB-oriented Justin Bieber or Drake tracks to dancehall closer “Where you come from”, this album is in effect a State of the Union of contemporary popular music. Complete with rock elements: the Post Malone “I did it” track featuring a classic Eric Clapton sample shrewdly adds a flair of classic rock to a song that otherwise provides a perfect platform for Megan Thee Stallion’s powerful bars. Hard to find anything to criticize here, and we tried…

The only feeling of note that emerges as you listen to Khaled Khaled and take a slight step back is this: this album is the work of a mature artist (DJ Khaled is 45 now) who has clearly been at it for decades, including many years at the forefront of what is “in”. In a way, this LP feels… wait for it… old school. That minimalistic Cardi B “Big Paper” (our favorite, in case that wasn’t clear) could have just as well been released in the 90’s. While this is excellent music in 2021, the only question — and potential explanation as to why the album didn’t break Thriller records — is how relevant it will sound going forward… Either way, for anyone above the age of 25 and/or who still remembers who Notorious B.I.G. was, this is bound to be a great listen!