August 9, 2016
NEW YORK (AFP) - DJ Khaled, the veteran US hip-hop producer whose career has seen a resurgence through Snapchat, has hit number one for the first time with a star-studded album.
"Major Key," the DJ's ninth studio album, debuted at number one on the US Billboard album chart for the week through Thursday with sales of 95,000 copies or the equivalent in downloads and streaming, tracking service Nielsen Music said.
The album features appearances from some of the top names in hip-hop including Jay Z, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj and J. Cole.
DJ Khaled, 40, has long worked with all-star rappers but his own brand quickly grew last year as he put out humorous videos on Snapchat, the social media platform known for temporary postings.
His Snapchat musings, which became the loose theme to his album, revolved around his "keys to success" in life, with his nuggets of wisdom ranging from eating breakfast to lathering his body with cocoa butter.
DJ Khaled appropriately celebrated his number-one album with a slew of social media postings late Sunday and Monday. In one video on Instagram, the portly DJ is seen walking topless around a luxurious home, declaring, "They tried to count me out. Now we count our blessings up."
Raised in Orlando to Palestinian immigrant parents, DJ Khaled -- whose real name is Khaled Mohamed Khaled -- is one of the most prominent Muslims in US music.
A fixture on the 1990s Miami club scene, DJ Khaled has occasionally spoken out on behalf of the Palestinian cause but his music is mostly apolitical.
DJ Khaled wrested the top spot on the album chart from one of his collaborators on "Major Key" -- Drake.
The Canadian rapper's "Views" slipped to number two after spending 12 non-consecutive weeks at number one, making it the top-selling album released in 2016 so far in the United States.
