 Rapper Mike West has been in the rap game for 13 years. The Florida based MC made his way into the industry by DJing at popular nightspots and by becoming head of promotions at Luke Records and Films, owned by the South’s first music legend Luther Campbell.
Most recently however, Mike has been promoting himself. With the help of his publicist, he hopes to make his last album, A Westside Story: Chapter 1, a breakout success. With success, comes haters. In the case of Mike West, one of his haters, he says, is well known Miami figure, DJ Khaled. The beef has now escalated to a physical level -- with both parties almost coming to blows inside a local radio station one afternoon.
In order to fully understand the magnitude of discord between Khaled and West, we must look to the past. Both the MC and the DJ came up in the game together as friends and as a part of a crew that ran with Luke Records. According to West: "Anybody that's doing major sh** in South Florida came from the old camp," which is why West could not understand why, his old buddy DJ Khaled would never show him any love once he became signed.
"It's just sad and really unfortunate that Khaled acts like he supports the South Florida movement, but he really doesn't. He's just a prime example of the wrong individual that got put on," West says. The animosity towards DJ Khaled also stems from a promise the DJ gave West -- promising to play a record he recorded some time ago and never did. In 2007, at the urging of his manager Robert Fernandez, the rapper, once again, submitted work to Khaled in hopes of being included in the We The Best series. For whatever reason, Khaled failed to deliver, infuriating an already weary West, and furthering the chasm between the pair's friendship.
Fast forward to 2009 and Mike West is focused on creating his own lane. He has an album about to hit the streets, a new single titled "I Gotta Get It" featuring Amil on iTunes and Rhapsody, and is ready to breakout beyond Florida's borders. Yet, like a thorn in his side, he is still unable to shake the beef with Khaled. The beef escalated further this year when West and Khaled ran into each other at WEDR 99 Jams where Mike was meeting with the Program Director.
The rapper’s account of the altercation is as follows:
"Khaled was unaware I was there, so when he seen me it threw him off and said 'What's up man, You got beef?' [He was] Trying to give me fist while saying that and states 'Looking at me like that, you bound to get knocked out in this office' and sh** hit the roof!! Then dude says, 'You gotta problem, You let me know', and I responded 'I do gotta problem'. Then, dude was speaking on some 'hold it down, hold it down' sh** and said the same sh**: 'Looking at me like that, you'll get knocked out', so I responded to dude 'Yo ain't nobody gonna touch me in this office and who gonna knock me out you?? You a joke.' "
What almost turned into a serious brawl ended up being stopped by the Program Director at the station. However, West claims to have footage of the event that would be pretty embarrassing to Khaled. Although he says the beef ending isn't anytime soon, he said he doesn’t care.
As a Grammy Recording Academy Voting Member -- with ties to members of Tha Outlawz on the West Coast and countless friends and connections in the Dirty South -- West is not letting this particular beef get him down. He even plans on reaching out to another popular rapper, Khaled’s nemesis, 50 Cent.
"50 Cent needs to come on and let me get official, so Khaled can just hate me even more. I know, I'm killing dude inside ... He just don't know what's coming. He done f***ed up and until he spins a Mike West record, that is when he'll support the real South Florida movement."
Will Khaled consider? Only time will tell. Sound off below, with your opinion on this situation.
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