DJ Khaled has been in the music industry for two decades, but his big break didn’t come about until 2016 — and it was all thanks to Snapchat. Granted, the famous producer already had a few hits to his name, but after sharing his day-to-day activities on the social media platform, Khaled gained millions of new fans in the process.
Sales for his music were at an all-time high, with his ninth studio album, Major Key, topping the Billboard Hot 200 back in 2016, followed by the chart-topping tenth record, Grateful, which featured the Rihanna-assisted song Wild Thoughts and I’m The One featuring Justin Bieber.
His latest album, 2019’s Father of Asahd, was another commercial success for Khaled, proving that his career had reached new heights thanks to his popularity on social media. And with success comes a lot of money, which the 45-year-old, who once paid $25,000 for a pair of shoes, would know all about since he made an impressive $36.5 million in 2020 alone. But how did he do it?
DJ Khaled’s 2020 Earnings
We should probably start off by mentioning that DJ Khaled is one of the most sought-after producers in Hollywood.
Given that he has a helping hand in every song that he puts out; if the song is a success, you better believe that Khaled is going to make a substantial income from that track.
I’m The One, for example, was a huge hit for Khaled in 2017, which not only topped the charts in the U.S. and U.K. but also sold a whopping 10 million units worldwide. It’s fair to assume Khaled is still making a reasonable amount of money from the song to this day.
Some of his other major hits include Do You Mind, No Brainer, Hold You Down, Popstar, and, of course, Wild Thoughts.
Another great way Khaled has been earning his millions is through lucrative partnerships and endorsement deals.
Soon after signing a management deal with Roc Nation back in February 2016, the world-renowned disc jockey signed a string of interesting deals, including a collaboration with WeightWatchers.
Khaled signed a multi-million dollar deal with the firm back in 2018 in a bid to get himself on the right path of leading a healthier life — particularly for the sake of his son.
In a statement, he shared, "To be great is to be healthy; to be healthy means a shift in my lifestyle, and the new WW Freestyle program is all about healthier habits for my life.”
“By capturing and sharing his process, he will enliven and inspire his community, showing that it’s possible to integrate healthy habits into your life,” CEO Mindy Grossman continued.
Khaled has also had a long-running business relationship with his pal Diddy, who owns shares in Ciroc vodka — no word on how much he makes for promoting the vodka brand, but considering he’s been plugging Ciroc for well over six years, it’s fair to assume he’s making a lot of money with the Bad Boy founder.
Some of the other brands he’s endorsed in recent years include Apple and T-Mobile.
In April 2020, just two years after buying a $25.9 million mansion in Miami, Khaled sold one of his other nearby properties — a $6 million six-bathroom Mediterranean-influenced estate.
He originally listed the property in 2018 for $8 million, but since no buyers were attracted with its price tag, he slashed it down by $2 million.
But when you’re making as much money as DJ Khaled, losing $2 million isn’t all that much of a big deal.
And despite having already made close to $40 million in 2020, the Louisiana native told Forbes last year that he had been busy working on his 11th studio album, showing clear signs that this man doesn’t take a break when it comes to his music career.
“I'm working on my new album right now as we speak, and those were my first two singles [Popstar and Greece] off my album called, Khaled Khaled. And I'm blessed to work with Drake.
“Working with Drake, one of the best and one of the greatest artists… To be able to put two records out with me and Drake is huge. When me and Drake was talking about putting these two records out, I was like, "Man, I would love to put them out at the same time.”
Khaled said he felt it was important to put out some feel-good music as the world navigated its way through a world pandemic, and the reaction from fans who supported both Drake-assisted songs over the summer of 2020 proved that his winning streak clearly hasn’t stopped.
“I wanted to put out new music from my album because we all going through hard times. And I felt like, at times like this, leaders got to bring the light. And we all have to find the light.
“And I felt like through the music and the beautiful energy that we're putting out there for our fans, and the families, and the people out there. I said, ‘Let's put two big records out,’ and we did. We did it through a pandemic, man. And I want to be one of the people that help bring the light.”