The Road to Success: A Brief Timeline of DJ Khaled's Blessings
We've chronicled the king of Miami's greatest hits from the past six months.
Image via Complex Original
When word broke last week that DJ Khaled had signed with Jay Zfor management, it felt like more than just the latest development in a seemingly endless winning streak for the Miami producer—this was a testament to how dramatically a solid social media presence can boost a career over a six-month span. The massively meme-able album campaign for I Changed a Lot paired with his tenacious insistence for success have manifested in truly major ways.
They never wanted him to win, but lately he just can't seem to stop. From his new show on Beats 1 to the success of his Finga Licking restaurant, there's no denying that DJ Khaled has gone from hip-hop royalty to a straight up mogul. To uncover his coveted key to success, we've chronicled the king of Miami's greatest hits from the past six months, starting with when he went sneaker shopping with Complex back in September. Bless up.
Khaled took Complex 'Sneaker Shopping' at Miami's Shoe Gallery.
Date: Sept. 14, 2015
It all started here, when Complex's own Joe La Puma joined Khaled for a shopping spree at Miami's iconic Shoe Gallery. The dynamic duo also made a foray into Khaled's extensive sneaker closet, where GIF history was made and we all started to feel the repercussions of playing ourselves.
He debuted on Snapchat as @djkhaled305.
Date: Oct. 2, 2015
Legend has it that when djkhaled305 posted his first Snap on Oct. 2nd, 2015, the national demand for chicken sausage and egg whites increased dramatically.
He announced the release date for his star-studded eighth studio album, I Changed a Lot.
Date: Oct. 12, 2015
Khaled took the standard album announcement two steps further with a firey double-single drop: “You Mine” featuring Future, Jeremih and Trey Songz, and “Gold Slugs” featuring Fetty Wap, Chris Brown and August Alsina.
Rihanna's team denied his request for her number.
Date: Oct. 16, 2015
Khaled got real on Complex News, admitting that Rihanna's team wouldn't hand over her number to him. His thirst was evidently not in vain; he reportedly popped up on set of the bad gal's “Work” video with Drake a few months later.
I Changed a Lot hit iTunes.
Date: Oct. 22, 2015
Thick with impressive features and an understated title, the diverse album also showcases Khaled's Finga Licking restaurant on the cover.
The producer got real about fame and frustration in an interview with Complex.
Date: Oct. 23, 2015
A day after dropping his new album, Khaled opened up in a Complex feature about his brush with prison, his collaborations with the biggest names in hip-hop, the frustration of being overlooked, and the making of I Changed a Lot, saying "I don’t let anything else stop my vision. If I did listen to that piece of the world, I wouldn’t be winning. I’d fall for the trap. I’m not ever falling for the trap. It’s never happening.”
The king of Miami received the key to the city.
Date: Oct. 29, 2015
Because the key to success only takes you so far, Khaled's hometown hero status was officially cemented upon receiving the key to Miami.
He continued his streak of wins with a fire mix on Drake's OVO Sound Radio.
Date: Oct. 31. 2015
In his first appearance on Drake's station, Khaled put together a stellar mix that captured his rags to riches transformation into one of the most successful hip-hop curators of the decade.
He launched We the Best, a merch store full of Khaled-blessed gems.
Date: Dec. 9, 2015
In December, Khaled truly aimed to further capitalize on meme-worthy catchphrases by launching his own merch store. Who knew the key to success could be attained by means of a $65 pair of flip flops?
The Snapchat King got lost jetskiing at sea.
Date: Dec. 14, 2015
Few have survived lunch at Rick Ross's house, and DJ Khaled just barely made the list. In truly his most riveting installment of Snapchat stories, Khaled documented an after dark jetski adventure that left him stranded at sea, though he was later rescued. Blessings at work, people.
He jumped in a pool wearing his Yeezys for no apparent reason.
Date: Dec. 17, 2015
Flagrancy was on full-display while filming Khaled's episode of "Get Sweaty With Emily Oberg."
The New York Times profiled his greatest hits on Snapchat.
Date: Dec. 21, 2015
Sure, we all think our Snap stories are newsworthy, but Khaled's is the only one covered by the New York Times to date. Time to change the game. Lion order.
He became a video game character.
Date: Dec. 22, 2015
If you haven't yet experienced the vaguely transcendent nature of controlling a pixelized Khaled on a raucous jetski ride, don't play yourself. The game does an apt job of illustrating the extent of how much they don't want you to win.
Snapchat honored its king with a personalized holiday filter.
Date: Dec. 24, 2015
Khaled took the reigns for Santa this year and saved us from the mundanities of Christmas via a celebratory Snapchat filter.
He casually dropped a fortune on a new beach pad in Miami.
Date: Jan. 3, 2016
Khaled rang in the new year by splashing $3.8 million on a seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom Miami beach house. Crack open the green apple Ciroc!
He once again topped trending feeds by kicking it with Kim Kardashian.
Date: Jan. 5, 2016
The internet was once again broken when arguably the two biggest social media personalities of this era met up for some hashtag mogul talk.
He dropped some Internet-breaking wisdom on Snapchat's CEO in his first visit to the company's headquarters.
Date: Jan. 13, 2016
Three months after posting his first Snap, Khaled graced the company's headquarters with his presence, meeting with CEO Evan Spiegel perhaps to discuss the installment of future filters. Or maybe a friendly takeover.
He blessed 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' with a lit medley alongside Future.
Date: Jan. 14, 2016
In another stop on his crazy trip to L.A. in January, Khaled and Future lit up late night television with a wild medley on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Miami's finest took over Carol City Middle School for a day.
Date: Jan. 20, 2016
Principal Khaled dropped some major keys of knowledge as well as a hefty $10k donation while taking charge of Miami's Carol City Middle School in January.
We the Best Radio went live on Apple Music.
Date: Feb. 5, 2016
Apple Music's Beats 1 radio got a whole lot more blessed when Khaled started his show in February, a tremendous upgrade from the pirate radio programs he used to DJ during his earlier career in Miami.
He joined Jay Z's Roc Nation, capping off a whirlwind six months.
Date: Feb. 29, 2016
All endings lead to beginnings–over a stellar six-month stretch, DJ Khaled truly changed a lot. Following his admittance into the Roc Nation squad, it seems like there's nothing but more success in the queue for 2016.