DJ Khaled - Khaled Khaled

 

It is a decent start for DJ Khaled's new album, 'Khaled Khaled', with 'THANKFUL.' Jeremih and Lil Wayne are satisfactory in their performances over inspiring horns, guitar riffs and with a blissful choir. However, 'THANKFUL' is too long with its 5 minutes and 38 seconds runtime. In 'EVERY CHANCE I GET', both Lil Durk and Lil Baby deliver satisfying, braggadocious verses over Tay Keith's nocturnal trap instrumental. Unfortunately, the track's hook, delivered by Lil Baby, is underwhelmingly drab. Another poor hook appears in 'BIG PAPER'. Cardi B is frustratingly off-beat as she phones in the hook.

Fortunately, the album does somewhat immediately recover with 'WE GOING CRAZY'. The parade of horns within the track's instrumental is enjoyable, likewise for Migos' triplet flow verse. Additionally, H.E.R's vocal performance here is satisfactory. In 'I DID IT,' the sampling of the guitar riff from Derek and The Dominos' 'Layla', meshed with trap beats, completes a compelling instrumental. Sadly, the stacked amount of features on this track do underwhelm here. Post Malone delivers a painfully generic chorus. The rap verses from Lil Baby, DaBaby and Megan Thee Stallion are just one ear in, one ear out.

Following  "LET IT GO", which seems like a track that Justin Bieber forgot to add to his "Changes" album, and "BODY IN MOTION", an average R&B track that has an instrumental similar to DaBaby's "Rockstar", the album reaches the first of two Drake featured songs, "POPSTAR." Drake delivers decent braggadocious rap verses over satisfactory nightlife trap production. Unfortunately, the hook in "POPSTAR" is underwhelmingly dull. Outside of Big Sean and Rick Ross being serviceable in "THIS IS MY YEAR," are you kidding me here with this chorus from A Boogie With Da Hoodie? It is just so awkward. Also, Diddy's interlude is obnoxious and makes me want to act like I have amnesia.

My Goodness,  the album finally reaches "SORRY NOT SORRY", featuring Nas and Jay-Z. The piano is satisfyingly starry, and the sampling from Jay-Z's "Song Cry" is pleasing. Nas is humorous as he refers to himself as 'the cryptocurrency scarface'. Meanwhile, Jay-Z is charismatically calm, cool and collected, flexing his '3 Bs.'

After a decent Justin Timberlake featured  "JUST BE" and "I CAN HAVE IT ALL", where despite a passionate verse from Meek Mill, is also where DJ Khaled is the most irritable, the album reaches the second Drake-featured cut, "GREECE." "GREECE" is by far the worst of the two, as Drake's delivery here on the chorus and verses are just offputtingly dull. "Khaled Khaled" does end finely with the thumping dancehall anthem "WHERE YOU COME FROM." The chorus is slowly growing on me as performances from Barrington Levy, Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, and Capleton are fiery.

"Khaled Khaled" unsurprisingly disappoints with its star-studded cast of features. Describing this album is basically, "Can we hurry up to the song with Nas and Jay-Z,.... sorry not sorry." 

Best Track(s): SORRY NOT SORRY, WHERE YOU COME FROM.

3/10.