DJ Khaled Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Getting back on track, DJ Khaled's We Global corrects all the mistakes made on his disappointing sophomore effort We the Best and gets back to the high-quality control of his debut Listennn: The Album. Like both previous releases, We Global finds the Terror Squad DJ commissioning tracks from the A-List, adding his shout-outs over top, and handing production over to the likes of Cool & Dre, the Inkredibles, and Danja along with a handful of cuts for the underappreciated team, the Runners who can go convincingly hard (the street single "Out Here Grindin'") or brilliantly slick (the R&B-flavored, Lloyd showcase "Go Ahead"). Important names like the Game -- who's focused like a sniper on the great "Red Light" -- and Nas -- who sounds absolutely Illmatic on his hectic cut "I'm On" -- get their own tracks, but most cuts are either giant baller anthems with freestyle after freestyle or more interesting and tighter collaborations, like the good timing "She's Fine" from Missy Elliot, Busta Rhymes, and dancehall don Sean Paul. Khaled's love of the warmer territories is further supported by Floridian Rick Ross' appearance next to another reggae man, Baby Cham, plus the expected guest shot from Pitbull who closes the album with a Dade County hip-hop history lesson. Khaled's lone production here is "Standing on the Mountain Top," a theatrical showcase for newcomer and protégé Ace Hood who lands on three more cuts and nails each and every one with his fresh-off-the-streets delivery. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Arriving a year -- almost to the day -- after his superior Listennn: The Album, DJ Khaled's sophomore effort, We the Best, is a mixed bag. On the plus side there are the singles and highlights, all of them infectious, grand, and inspired. Leadoff single "We Takin' Over" is a star-studded, Akon-anchored anthem with swagger to burn, while "Brown Paper Bag" twists a grand sample of Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You" into a soulful tale of fast money. On the latter, Jeezy, Weezy (Lil Wayne), and Rick Ross add up to that rumored all-star edition of Boyz N da Hood that never happened, and if that isn't enough to draw the hip-hop regulars in, hearing the Game, Jadakiss, and Trick Daddy all on the same track, "I'm from the Ghetto," certainly will. Last of the must-haves is "B**** I'm from Dade County" with Khaled, Trick Daddy, and production team the Diaz Brothers in fine pro-Florida form. Besides the Diaz Brothers, Cool & Dre, the Runners, Danja, and Caine Beats produce tracks while Khaled only helms two: the "Intro" (which barely counts) and "Before the Solution," with Beanie Siegel once again covering his iffy relationships with Jay-Z and Dame Dash. Beanie has covered this drama much better elsewhere, up to and including his guest shot on Listennn, but the other tracks that miss aren't as disappointing; they're just fair. Khaled doesn't help much by doing his usual "Listennnnnn!" and "I represent the ghetto!" shouts over songs he has little or no connection with, and while the man has said this effort isn't about his production skills but rather music he loves, it seems like all the more reason to stay out of the way. Maybe it's an effort to ease the geographical jumps -- from Florida to the Cleveland-repping Bone Thugs and on to "New York" -- or a way to keep the momentum rolling on this up-and-down effort. Instead, it just points out these shortcomings when they could have been less noticeable. Much more frustrating than a failure, We the Best earns a slight thumbs up if you think of it as a disjointed soundtrack or four-hit mixtape. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Albums from a hip-hop crew's DJ have been iffy proposals since Terminator X started moonlighting from his usual gig in Public Enemy. Often rappers give their B-list tracks to the DJ album, and there's even more of a threat of no unifying factor to make the album flow. But Terror Squad's DJ Khaled is also a producer, and the host of numerous mixtapes -- where flow really matters -- including one of the best surrounding Lil Wayne's Tha Carter, Vol. 2, and it was up against a lot of stiff competition. While the cover artwork to Listennn: The Album looks very mixtape, Khaled is more a curator of the album, letting tracks fade out to conclusion even though he occasionally add his shout-outs. Whatever he did to land these tracks, it must have been amazing. First off, there's the massive "Problem" featuring Beanie Sigel reflecting on the state of hip-hop from behind prison walls with a hooky "Jay and Dame ain't speakin'/Game and 50 Cent beefin'" chorus over a great Khaled production. Sigel's lyrics will endear the track to every hip-hop fan, but whether you want to pick Kanye West's slick, snide, and so def "Grammy Family" as the runner-up, or the Southern balling "Holla at Me" with superstars Lil Wayne and Paul Wall bouncing off the next in line Rick Ross, depends on whether you vote North or South. The album leans toward the South and collects some tracks that have been making the mixtape rounds for a while toward the end. The selection isn't haphazard and the sequencing is just as good. Like Tony Touch did before him, Khaled has gone from behind the scenes to mixtapes to killer compilation host, all the while keeping his ear to the street. You can reap the benefits here. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
