DJ Khaled: More Than A Radio DJ

With two turntables and a mic, DJ Khaled -- though not a rapper -- does have the privilege to be the mic controller during his top rated radio show, Takeover, on Miami's 99Jamz. Once away from the radio and no longer under the watchful eye of the FCC, Khaled's signature spin stylings add that much more grime to the havoc Fat Joe and the Terror Squad reek on the hip-hop industry. Fat Joe, who Khaled refers to as "his best friend," proves he knows what this business is about -- marketability and fickle fans. Having DJ Khaled aboard the Squad not only brings more fans for the Terror Squad, but he brings in fans of Khaled mixtapes, who can't stand listening to the tightly formatted airwaves.

Koch, once known as the graveyard of the "has been" rapper, is now home to savvy businessmen including DJ Khaled. With the notoriety of being Fat Joe's official DJ, Khaled could have went anywhere for a deal to distribute his debut album, Listen. Instead, he prefers the grind, a grind that frees him to lend his expertise to other ventures like BattleRap.com.

BattleRap.com is a competition that allows emcees to log on to the site, download studio software and go for what they know over thousands of tracks provided by some of the hottest producers hip-hop has to offer. Producers such as Cool and Dre, Zukhan Bey, R&G Productions, Black Out Movement and DJ Khaled among others, who have laced hit records for50 Cent, Ludacris and Beyonce, just to name a few.

During this comedic laced interview with Ballerstatus, DJ Khaled talks about why BattleRap.com is a genius idea, why the world should LLListen on June 6th, as he breaks the circle in hip-hop with energy, excitement and his nightly radio show Takeover.

Ballerstatus.com: How long have you been DJ'ing?

DJ Khaled: I've been doing this since I was about fourteen, and I am thirty now.

Ballerstatus.com: Did you start out doing house parties?

DJ Khaled: Yes, house parties, mixtapes, renting out halls, college radio, underground radio and now major radio.

Ballerstatus.com: Do you remember the first album you messed up trying to scratch?

DJ Khaled: I practiced a lot with "Peter Piper" (Run DMC) and "Rock the Bells" (LL Cool J).

Ballerstatus.com: Explain the feeling the first time you rocked a party/show and you seen the crowd response.

DJ Khaled: It was incredible. That is when I knew I loved it, I love being on stage.

Ballerstatus.com: You a DJ for Terror Squad, what's that like?

DJ Khaled: Yea, I DJ for Terror Squad and I produce. Fat Joe is my best friend, so were a big family.

Ballerstatus.com: Are you on the new Remy project?

DJ Khaled: Yeah and I have production on Joe's new album coming out. It's crazy.

Ballerstatus.com: When you're coming up with tracks, is there a sound that is signature to you or do you draw from everywhere?

DJ Khaled: I have my own sound. I would say my drums are always hard and I have real dramatic sound.

Ballerstatus.com: Who is your all-time favorite star to work with?

DJ Khaled: Fat Joe, Big Pun, Lil Wayne, Trick Daddy and Rick Ross.

Ballerstatus.com: What artist living or dead would you want to work with?

DJ Khaled: Biggie, Pac and Bob Marley. I don't know if Lenny Williams is alive, so I'll say those guys.

Ballerstatus.com: Do you still have your first demo, to see how you have grown?

DJ Khaled: I remember my first mixtape, I called it N----s Is Mad At Me. When I was a little kid, I had that mentality and I knew I was going to be somebody.

Ballerstatus.com: I feel you on that. If you don't believe in yourself, no one else will.

DJ Khaled: You have to big up yourself, you can't rely on someone else to do it for you. Other people will show you love and big you up, but you gotta get it in for yourself.

Ballerstatus.com: Do you buy in to the old adage, "Fake it till you make it?"

DJ Khaled: Yeah.

Ballerstatus.com: Tell me about you latest venture BattleRap.com.

DJ Khaled: BattleRap.com is a online contest with producers like Cool & Dre, myself and some others, judging emcees who long on, rap over tracks produced by me and the other judges. And they also battle against other artists from other markets. The winner gets a $100,000 record deal and get recognized by anyone in the game because anyone can log on to see what's poppin'.

Ballerstatus.com: What separates this from an "American Idol"-esque contest?

DJ Khaled: Very simple, the whole world can get involved and [laughing] you don't have Simon critiquing you. The only way you get critique is the other person beating you.

Ballerstatus.com: Is Pure Records your label?

DJ Khaled: No, it's a friend of mine who got me involved in the game. Joe Safina, it's his label.

Ballerstatus.com: Who are some of the artists on Pure Records?

DJ Khaled: Na'Sha, she's singing on a lot of Shaggy Records.

Ballerstatus.com: What kind of response is BattleRap.com getting?

DJ Khaled: It's been great. It launches real soon and people are talking about it in the streets heavy. I am on the radio, so I talk about it a lot and people are always calling to get information about BattleRap.com. Just from word of mouth, the interest is growing. It's a genius idea. I don't see why people wouldn't feel it and want to get involved. It's fun and they can win money.

Ballerstatus.com: $100,000.00 isn't bad at all.

DJ Khaled: I know [laughing]. I need to try and log on 'cause I need it and so does this girl sitting next to me. I'm not a rapper, but I need to start.

Ballerstatus.com: Tell us more about why you lent your expertise to BattleRap.com.

DJ Khaled: It's just another outlet where everybody can try to shine and make him or herself hot. The cool thing about it is, you don't even have to win in order for the world to get to know you're a great emcee, especially through battling. Who's to say one of the finalists won't be the next Jay-Z, Big Pun or Fat Joe? The contestants get to challenge their skills because they are going up against the best.

Ballerstatus.com: There are different ways people look at battling, depending on where you live. How are the people getting judged when they are not going head up? It's prerecorded and you can't tell if the rhymes are written or from the dome...

DJ Khaled: You know, it doesn't really matter to me if the person is writing or coming from the dome. Yes, sometimes it sounds better if the person is coming from the dome, but at the end of the day what matters to me and how I'll be judging the person is if they are creative, who has the dopest swagger and the hottest flow.

Ballerstatus.com: How is being apart of BattleRap.com, working to your advantage?

DJ Khaled: It's another outlet where I get to show the world my styling of music, give up-and-coming artists a chance to rap over phenomenal A-List beats and I love hip-hop. It's a genius idea.

Ballerstatus.com: The climate of hip-hop changes so much, so are you taking advantage of the producer's opportunity to shine?

DJ Khaled: Of course, in some ways I am, but the culture changes everyday. I like the way it is going right now. I just wish people respected it a little more. It is a way of life for so many people. You can't get away from it. It's all over the television and in fashion. It is not a joke. It's a way of life for so many people and how we make sure our girlfriends have Louis Vuitton purses.

Ballerstatus.com: How you feel when Three 6 Mafia won the Oscar?

DJ Khaled: That was so big for us [in hip-hop]. They bring such a different vibe to the game and they have been putting it down for years. They deserve it. They work hard, and make great music. They made history and that makes me want to work harder.

Ballerstatus.com: Are there any misconceptions about you want to clear up?

DJ Khaled: The people who don't know me would think I'm real cocky. To some degree, I am when I am on air, but I also very humble and that is why people close to me show me so much love. I am just on my game and a great guy.

Ballerstatus.com: Where are you directing your future as a contributor to hip-hop?

I am breaking the circle since hip-hop has been going in the same cycle I am going to bring another element to it. That element being a lot of energy and excitement and incredibleism...see I just made my own word up.

Ballerstatus.com: A lot of the critics in hip-hop feel the South is adding to the decline of lyricism, how do you feel about what the South is doing?

DJ Khaled: I think the South is doing a great thing for hip-hop. Everybody has their time to shine and that's the great thing about collaborations. I love to hear albums where artists from other places get together and make good music. We all have different way of living, depending where we are from -- different way we dress and slang. It's a good thing we have this music to bring it all together.

Ballerstatus.com: What else is on your plate?

DJ Khaled: I have a new album coming June 6th out called Listen. My new single is out right now; it's called "Holla At Me" featuring Fat Joe, Paul Wall, Lil Wayne, Pitbull, Rick Ross, and it was produced by Cool & Dre/DJ Khaled.

Ballerstatus.com: Who else is on the album?

DJ Khaled: Jadakiss, Nas, Beanie Sigel, Lil Wayne, Christina Milian, Rick Ross, Game, Paul Wall, Dre from Cool & Dre, Remy Martin and Trick Daddy. Man some of everybody.

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