Maps of Music

Khaled Khaled (2021)

Where the lyrics of Khaled Khaled take you, and where it was really made.

The album is titled after DJ Khaled's real name, and his two sons are credited as executive producers alongside him.

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Khaled Khaled: twelfth studio album by DJ Khaled, an American disc jockey and record producer
Released April 30, 2021 by We the Best Music Group and Epic Records
Guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Jeremih, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Cardi B, H.E.R., Migos, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, DaBaby, Justin Bieber, 21 Savage, Drake, Jay-Z, Nas, Justin Timberlake, and others
Title taken from Khaled's real name, Khaled Khaled
Executive producers: Khaled himself, his sons Asahd and Aalam Tuck Khaled, with Allah also credited as executive producer because of the family's religious beliefs and Islamic spirituality

First Khaled album released since the birth of his second child, Aalam, on January 20, 2020
Dual lead singles "Popstar" and "Greece" both featured Drake and came out in July 2020, before the album's release date was announced
Khaled played songs from the album for Kanye West, who visited his house days before release
Khaled said he hopes listeners feel inspired and motivated, and that the main takeaway is to move with love

Born Khaled Mohammed Khaled on November 26, 1975, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Palestinian immigrant parents.
Parents were musicians who played Arabic music; he developed an early interest in rap and soul.
Worked at a local Merry-Go-Round record store.

Started DJing in reggae sound clashes in New Orleans and later co-hosted The Luke Show on WEDR 99 Jamz in Miami from 1998.
Worked with Fat Joe's Terror Squad as a DJ and producer.
Debut album Listennn... the Album (2006) debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200.
Breakthrough with "I'm So Hood" (We the Best, 2007) and "All I Do Is Win" (Victory, 2010, triple platinum).
Major label debut We the Best Forever (2011) produced his first Billboard Hot 100 top ten single, "I'm on One".
Albums Major Key (2016), Grateful (2017), and Khaled Khaled (2021) reached number one on the Billboard 200.
Won his first Grammy for "Higher" at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Known for maximalist production, motivational catchphrases, and a strong social media presence.

Mixed reviews from music critics
Metacritic average score of 58 from eight professional reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews
Stereogum's Chris Deville wrote that the extravagant list of guest stars feels especially indulgent, and that nearly every track could be a breakout hit based on the performers alone
NME's Luke Morgan Britton gave a lukewarm three-star review, calling it a slightly hollow, glitzy blockbuster and noting that after endless hits and three Platinum albums the artist could be forgiven for refusing to change the blueprint
Britton also said that anyone not on the album after swapping numbers with Khaled at an after-party should feel offended

Reviews cited the long guest list as the main point of discussion, with critics split between praise for the lineup and concern over indulgence

Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 93,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, including 14,000 pure album sales
Became DJ Khaled's third US number one album on the chart
Accumulated a total of 106.87 million on-demand streams of its songs
Certified platinum by the RIAA on February 23, 2022 for more than 1,000,000 units in the United States

The album is titled after DJ Khaled's real name, which is also Khaled Khaled.
Khaled played songs from the album for Kanye West, who came to his house days before it was released.
The cover shows Khaled kneeling in profile in a prayer position at the center, with his two sons on either side.