In a new interview from his home in Miami, DJ Khaled sits down with Billboard News to talk all about his next album God Did.
Speaking to Billboard‘s Carl Lamarre, the producer reflected on reaching his milestone 13th album with the upcoming release, which drops Friday (Aug. 26) via We the Best/Epic Records.
“To get to a 13th album is, like, beyond incredible for me,” he said. “The greats that I look up to, when I see how many albums they put out, I’m on the right track. And I know how hard it is to be in this game — some people can’t make it past their first single or their first album.”
Khaled’s latest LP features the top five single “Staying Alive” with Drake and Lil Baby, as well as collaborations with the likes of Kanye West and Eminem (the Dr. Dre-produced “Use This Gospel” remix), Quavo and Takeoff (“Party All the Time”), Future and SZA (“Beautiful”), Latto and City Girls (“Bills Paid”) and many more.
The DJ dished about the album’s lead single, which interpolates the Bee Gees‘ classic “Stayin’ Alive,” in addition to Drake and Lil Baby’s guest appearances. “‘Staying Alive,’ for it to be the first single, is, like, perfect,” Khaled said. “Because you think about all the stuff that all of us are going through. We out here walkin’ outside dodging everything. And ‘Staying Alive’ resonates with people immediately. Drake’s my brother and Lil Baby’s my brother — they’re my favorite artists.
”Khaled also revealed during the chat that Jay-Z, who shows up on the star-studded title track along with Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, John Legend and Fridayy, had a hand in choosing the new studio set’s cover art. “I am the biggest Jay-Z fan,” he said. “I always give him, like, two cover options and see which one he would pick. And I did it again on this album. After I got done playing it, he pulled me aside and said, ‘Yo, this is your best album.’ I love you, Jay-Z!” (Billboard)