On the Hollywood Walk of Fame, DJ Khaled drew several stars for his own star dedication. The ceremony, held Monday at Block 6200 of Hollywood Boulevard, was attended by several of Khaled’s key associates and supporters, including moguls Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Sean “Diddy” Combs; artists Fat Joe, Teyana Taylor, Jeezy and NORE; label managers Sylvia Rhone (Epic Records), LA Reid (Hitco), Ethiopia Habtemariam (Motown), Tunji Balogun (Def Jam), LaTrice Burnette (Island), Jeff Harleston (Universal Music Group) and Mark Shimmel (Dick Clark Productions); along with Cool & Dre, Reggie Saunders of Nike and Wayne Barrow.
Introducing the rapper-producer, Fat Joe praised Khaled’s orange look before recalling memories of how they first met and became friends.
More of diversity
“When I met him, he forced me to move from New York to Miami,” Joe began. “Just being close to him… that energy was so contagious. When I think of Khaled, I think of love. That’s the only reason why you see the heavyweights here the way you see them.”
Indeed, love surrounded Khaled as his family – wife Nicole Tuck and their two children – watched proudly.
Fat Joe added, “We haven’t really embraced fatherhood in hip-hop for a long time. Nobody has done it like Khaled. And when it comes to music, nobody has a better ear.”
. – Photo credit: Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Diddy followed with a speech recognizing Khaled’s growth and star power. “You’re the definition of if you want to make something happen, you have to put that work in and make it happen,” he noted. “I saw you when we had nothing, just coming out of the mud.”
Recalling a pivotal conversation, Diddy said, “I remember the day you said to me, ‘You don’t believe me, Puff.’ I thought, ‘Khaled, what are you talking about? You’re doing great, you’re the vice president of A&R.” And you were told, ‘But they don’t believe me.’ … I remember that day when you worked your way to the top. … you are a pioneer; You are an icon and a brilliant businessman. But most importantly, you are a great friend to all of us here – a great father, a great husband and one of the greatest people I have ever met. Your energy and work ethic is second to none, we celebrate you for everything.”
The story goes on
As Khaled took the podium, he got emotional. “God put me on this earth to be a light,” he said. “They didn’t believe in us, but God did.”
He continued to yell at Motown, his Roc Nation management team, his label and of course himself. “There is only one Khaled, that’s all I have to say.”
The Grammy winner ended his speech with his personal motto: “We the best — it’s not just me it’s we.”
Before leaving, he said: “And I just want to be very clear: We’re just getting started, everything you’ve seen me do before, imagine that in the highest power of a trillion, because I’m not stopping , I’ll stop making more music.”
The event ended with Khaled posing for photos with his star – who he adorned with Air Jordans from his collaboration with Jordan called We The Best collection.
DJ Khaled’s five most recent albums have topped the charts including I Changed a Lot, Major Key, Grateful, Father of Asahd and most recently in 2021 for Khaled Khaled. Khaled is the 719th Recorded Music star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Best Variety
Sign up for the Variety newsletter. Follow us for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click here to read the full article.