DJ Khaled on Snapchatting the Minute-by-Minute of His Son's Birth
The hip-hop producer has become the king of Snapchat in the past year.
— -- Social media sensation DJ Khaled made waves when he documented the minute-by-minute moments of what was happening in the hospital delivery room as his fiancée gave birth to their son.
“The minute I held him and he opened his eyes,” Khaled said, “and me and him locked eyes together, my whole life changed.”
Khaled, who has quickly become a Snapchat celebrity with his constant posting, said he just couldn’t help himself from Snapchatting the life-changing experience of his son’s birth. He admits Snapchatting didn’t go over well with his fiancée Nicole.
“I kept telling her, ‘I’m going to do it,’ and she thought I was joking. I don’t know why,” he said.
She told him not to do it, Khaled said, but “I wanted to put love in the universe because sometimes it's so much going on in this world. You have to show love and that was a life being born. That's the most love ever.”
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The birth of his son Asahd capped off a year that’s been nothing short of extraordinary for the hip-hop producer-turned-Snapchat king. Khaled has received movie roles and major product endorsements. He has a best-selling book called “The Keys” and just last week, he was nominated for a Grammy for rap album of the year.
And much of his incredible success can be traced back to Snapchat.
Khaled’s simple words of wisdom on Snapchat have turned him into an unlikely motivational figure. He has coined countless catchphrases, including “blessed up,” “special cloth alert,” meaning a rare breed, and his “keys to success.”
Though he’s been Snapchatting for well over a year, he said he’s not worried about fans getting tired of his shtick and he doesn’t feel pressured to come up with new catchphrases.
“I don't feel pressure at all, because anything I've ever done has been just a vibe,” he said. “It's a vibe natural. I don't wake up in the morning trying to figure something out.”
Khaled leverages his massive Snapchat audience to promote his music and build buzz around new songs, including one of his latest singles, “For Free.”
When asked how he would describe himself, Khaled bluntly said, “Genius.”
“You know I’m ... a DJ, artist, producer, executive. I make hits, I find hits, and I put hits out,” he said. “I’m a music mogul, I’m a music man. I am music.”
Much of his fan base consists of young kids, which is why Khaled teamed up with the nonprofit group “Get Schooled” to promote the importance of education.
“I'm proud,” he said. “Because if I could help somebody, that's a beautiful thing. I'm telling you. The more blessings you give, the more you get back.”