DJ Khaled’s Grateful is a star-studded thrill ride with great beats
By Samantha Puc
Producer DJ Khaled released his latest album, Grateful, on June 23. It packs a whopping 23 tracks featuring some of the biggest names in music.
With four singles preceding the release of Grateful, producer DJ Khaled has been all over the Billboard Charts. His 8 month-old son Asahd, who’s listed as first executive producer on the album, graces the covers of all the singles and the album itself.
Asahd also features on the outro, his laugh following DJ Khaled’s heartfelt thank you to his son. It’s reminiscent of Will Smith’s interludes with son Jaden Smith on 1999’s Willennium. It’s a perfect end to an equally perfect album, packed to the brim with hit tracks and incredible guests.
Grateful is front-loaded with bangers and doesn’t back off. The title track kicks things off, then jumps straight into the first four singles released, including “Shining” with Beyoncé and Jay-Z, as well as the most recent “Wild Thoughts” with Rihanna and Bryce Tiller.
Drake, Sizzla, Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne, Quavo, Travis Scott, Rick Ross, Big Sean, Nas, Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, Betty Wright, Future, Migos, Kodak Black, Pusha T and several others all make appearances on the 23-track album, which even in its slower moments makes listeners want to dance.
The guest list isn’t the only impressive thing about Grateful. DJ Khaled pulls out all the stops, with samples from the likes of Santana balancing hard-hitting beats. Lyrical content ranges from sexual fantasies to family life. The thread weaving everything together is the repetition of “ANOTHER ONE!” Every single song is a smash hit. Another one, and another one, and another one.
Although it’s hard to pick stand-out tracks from this album, “I Love You So Much” with Chance the Rapper is a beautiful ode to fatherhood and family. Nicki Minaj sounds incredible on both “Nobody” and “I Can’t Even Lie” (which also feature Alicia Keys and Future, respectively). “Don’t Quit” with Calvin Harris, Travis Scott, and Jeremih is a bouncy, summery dance party.
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If you listen to one album this week, make it DJ Khaled’s Grateful. You won’t regret a minute of it.