WHADDAT.COM >> MIC CHECK

						THE ARAB ATTACK :: DJ KHALED by: MiC~CHik



						The first time I got in touch with Khaled on his Motorola 2-Way, he told me to get him at home. I instead got his answering machine which starts off something like this... "THIS IS DJ KHALED THE DON DADA DON GORGON SOUND KILLA TWO THOUSAND ONE BUN NEW NAME FOR THE Y2K-1! .." You know the voice. The unforgettable and undeniable sound that comes from the Arab Attack DJ Khaled's vocal chords is still resonating in my ears two weeks after the interview to the point that it haunts me in my dreams. Who can forget the first time we heard him on the mic? The born and bred Miami disk jock pimp uses the most lewd patois in the loudest and most obnoxious ways possible...all with an american ghetto ring to it. You might think he keeps this fever locked away until he hits a stage. No. Wrong. He's almost as hype in person as he is by himself in front of thousands of people once he gets comfortable with you. But, if you see him at the studio or on the road when he's in town, he's seemingly low key. I asked him if that was something he's conscious of. Apparently he's very aware of the element of surprise that the people get when they see him on stage compared to in person. WHO DA WHITE BWOY DEH?? or something similar is normally what comes out of people's mouths upon witnessing Khaled for the first time. He ain't white though. He's American of Palestinian heritage...Arabic.

						Arabs, he explained are a people of African decent. He's very proud of his roots needless to say, evidenced in his title. (I told him a surprisingly large percentage of Jamaicans are of Palestinian decent. Puts him one step closer to us don't ya think?) He considers himself a resident of this land. He feels at one with the environment, and the people. Although he's a super mega star uptown, and has demolished a Pip 'n Ting or two and a Ratio here and there, he's ghetto through and through. "I love the love I get from uptown. I love the vibe they got, but I always remember where I'm coming from. I'm a hip hop sound boy in Jamaica. Originated to a different level. It comes down to being a serious sound boy." He came to Jamaica for the first time after hooking up with Delano and the boyz from Renaissance. His first play-out here was three years ago alongside the great remix sound at their Sunday night base, Asylum (night club in New Kingston). Nobody that wasn't familiar with the Miami music scene had never heard of DJ Khaled, much less seen him play before. Imagine the crowd's surprise when he blessed the turntables with an original Khaled dubplate courtesy of the great Buju Banton... "MAH MAH MAH MAH!! Khaled is a muuuurrrdara!" The response was fantastic and Khaled was immediately sucked into the yard style hype. When he took to the wheels at Solid Agency's Celebrity Spring Break in 1999, he caused a mass vibe riot, and was solidified as a force to be reckoned with by the local dj's, namely Tony 'Mentally Ill' Matterhorn and Fire Links.
						Continued ...
						Back up • Back toYard
						Copyright © 2001, Whaddat.com. All rights reserved.



			SHAGGY by Tru^Honey

			ITALEE by Mic~Chik

			SHAGGY'S Platinum Party WHADDAT.COM was there