On Thursday, April 7, Khaled Mohamed Khaled — better known as DJ Khaled — “blessed” Emory with an hour and a half long performance at McDonough Field. Khaled was one of the headliners for this year’s Dooley’s Week, along with comedian Pete Holmes and EDM duo The Chainsmokers. Since this year’s Dooley’s Week was Hollywood-themed, it was only fitting that Emory’s Student Programming Council (SPC) booked an act that has, as of late, dominated social media with his lavish lifestyle and celebrity antics, all documented on his Snapchat.

DJ Khaled’s claim to fame came in 2007 with the release of his second album We the Best. The album included hip-hop “anthems” like “We Takin’ Over,” featuring Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman and Lil Wayne, and “I’m So Hood,” featuring Trick Daddy, Rick Ross, Plies  and T-Pain. After his 2006 to 2010 stints as an award-winning DJ and producer, Khaled released several top 50 albums — including We the Best Forever (2011), Suffering from Success (2013) and I Changed a Lot (2015). However, Khaled was unable to retain the same level of popularity he had in the early 2000s among mainstream listeners — that is, until he discovered Snapchat. He used the platform to launch his comeback by sharing his “keys to success” and showcasing his larger than life persona, captured in Khaled’s almost incessant blast of daily videos, a persona that Emory students witnessed on Thursday night.

In spite of the less than optimal weather, the concert boasted a large crowd — significantly larger than SPC events I attended previously. The crowd’s size might have had to do with the fact that DJ Khaled is currently one of the biggest names in entertainment and the fact that most college students would not pass up the opportunity to be featured on Khaled’s Snapchat story — which almost every person I know watches. Khaled came on at around 9:45 p.m. despite being scheduled to start at 9 p.m., but thanks to constant updates posted on Khaled’s Snapchat story, the crowd knew exactly when he left his hotel, got in his car and arrived at Emory.  

Upon his arrival, Khaled greeted the crowd with enthusiasm: “What’s up, Emory University? How are you feeling?” he shouted, as the speakers blasted “major key” — one of Khaled’s signature ad-libs.  At the beginning of the concert, the crowd seemed to be more interested in being able to capture the social media giant on their Snapchats than with the music he was playing. However, the vibe quickly changed as students became enthralled by the blast of hip-hop hits that Khaled delivered in quick succession. The songs he played ranged from Rihanna’s “Work” to Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message.” The songs were only played for about 45 seconds before Khaled decided to change them — which made for a dynamic ambiance, as the audience could not become accustomed to Khaled’s  eclectic mix of hip-hop hits. Often, the quick song successions were abrupt or unnecessary, but Khaled’s objective seemed to be keeping the crowd moving and showcasing his DJ skills in the allotted time. The whole performance seemed like a surrealist play on our generation’s social media obsessions — like the show was taken out of a chapter of George Orwell’s 1984 or some other dystopian novel. Never would I have imagined that a crowd would actually encourage a performer to be on his phone while on stage, but they did — in fact, it was whenever Khaled pulled out his phone that the crowd seemed to enjoy the show the most. Although the little DJing Khaled actually did was just okay, the performance was too interesting not to enjoy.

At times, Khaled paused the music to deliver one of his trademark monologues to the enthusiastic crowd. “You are the future of this country,” he said, as he recorded his words on his Snapchat. “Y’all are gonna be doctors, lawyers or musicians,” he boasted.

“Stay away from ‘they’ — let’s stay positive and win some more,” he reiterated as the crowd simultaneously quoted one of the many signature ad-libs they’ve grown to know so well through their interaction with Khaled’s Snapchat. The whole concert seemed to be a live-action version of DJ Khaled’s Snapchat story, which made the performance engaging and interesting. That, along with the energetic music and impromptu speeches, made the concert one to remember.

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