DJ Khaled (a.k.a. Abu Asahd, a.k.a. Khaled Mohammad Khaled)

Hey guys! I hope everyone is excited for the weekend as I am! I’m going to Boston to hang out with S and his family, and I can’t wait!

In the mean time, I figured I would share a bit of information on one of my favorite R&B / Rap artists this year: DJ Khaled.

More than a few of my friends and family are a bit puzzled by my interest in DJ Khaled, so I want to give you a peek into all the cool things about DJ Khaled that make him a fascinating figure:

1.)  He is Palestinian-American. And his actual name is Khaled Khaled, which means that his first name is Khaled and his last name is also Khaled. Perhaps his parents have a sense of humor, or maybe his grandfather’s name is Khaled (because in Arab culture it’s common for the first-born son to be named after the grandfather).

2.)  His perspective on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is unclear. While DJ Khaled certainly seems sympathetic towards Palestinians in interviews, he is certainly not outspoken about the conflict or any politics in general. This is remarkable, to me at least, because I’ve never met a Palestinian who doesn’t have a very strong opinion on the conflict and is not shy to share it. Earlier this year, he participated in an event with Sabra Hummus (which has ties to funding the Israeli army via the Strauss Group) and got a lot of criticism for it from his pro-Palestinian fans, but I’m not sure if he ever responded to that criticism.

3.)  He named his son Asahd, which means “lion” in Arabic. Anyone who knows DJ Khaled knows that the lion is his spirit animal, so his naming choice clearly shows a connection both to his heritage and his love for lions. In Arab culture, parents are called the father or mother of their first-born son (or daughter, if they have no sons), which means that I bet in some circles he’s now known as Abu Asahd. He is really adorable with his son on Snapchat, by the way.

4.)  He Snapchat-ed the birth of his son. This phenomenon is mind-blowing in itself because it shows how, in this moment in time, social media has given the world a window into strangers’ most intimate moments. I’m amazed that his fiancée didn’t take the phone and beat him over the head with it. Anyway, he did update his Snapchat feed regularly, and I did follow it. And I find that how people react to these important moments of life illuminate their values. For example, watching DJ Khaled’s Snapchat, I learned that he’s Muslim because he paused his music in the middle of the birth when it was time to play the call to prayer. This was cool way to see how versatile DJ Khaled is in navigating between two cultures, by partying to his own music while also taking time to connect to his faith during the birth of his son.

5.)  His new book got to the New York Times’ bestsellerlist. That in itself is amazing, because the book’s description on Amazon is vague at best. But, reading the reviews, it seems like a lot of people and especially young men have found a lot of inspiration from his words. DJ Khaled does exude positive energy, so I’m sure that positivity shines through his book as well. I will definitely read his book whenever I have time (after my program in four years?) but anyone else who reads it, please let me know what you think.

Anyway, it’s about time for me to get back to remote sensing of my lagoons’ surface area. Hope you liked the post! Let me know what you think about DJ Khaled and stay tuned for a new post on my research coming up soon!

Update on 1/30/17: DJ Khaled actually posted a series of Snapchat videos yesterday, which consisted of a montage of protests through space and time, including images of Palestinian protesters and America's Civil Rights Movement. It turns out the montage comes from a music video made for Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come." I think this is a political statement, indeed! And its beautiful imagery connect all the human and civil rights, illustrating the importance of showing up and fighting for all rights. To be honest, it's hard for most people these days in the United States to be apolitical if they care, so I'm glad DJ Khaled made a stand. And I wonder if we'll see more artistic political statements from him in the future!