DJ Khaled was born in New Orleans, but moved to Miami at a young age. He began to deejay when he was 14, and soon gained himself a reputation as one of Miami’s most popular hip-hop DJ’s, selling out parties and clubs from the touristy tip of South Beach to the inner-city ’hood of Carol City. Khaled - along with notable Miami producers and beatsmiths Cool and Dre, DJ Ideal, and The Runners - was instrumental in bringing the Miami rap scene into the national spotlight, after having produced Rick Ross’s breakout hit Hustlin'.

Khaled's energetic performances and friendly demeanor made him many friends in the music industry, and the DJ began to make friendships outside of Miami - most notably, with New York’s Fat Joe and his Terror Squad group, and with Philadelphia rapper Beanie Siegel. With all of his hip-hop connections, DJ Khaled decided to release a groundbreaking mainstream album featuring both nationwide collaborations and up-and-coming Miami-Dade county artists.

In 2006 his dream was realized with the release of Listennn…The Album, which went on to sell just short of 200,000 copies. The album was considered by most critics to be somewhat hit-or-miss; powerful singles like Grammy Familyand Born and Raised eclipse much of the rest of the album. Nonetheless, the album was noted for the incredible spread of rap superstars Khaled was able to bring into the project, including appearances by Young Jeezy, U.S.D.A., Bone Thugs n Harmony, Jadakiss, and Chamillionaire.

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