From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Best Radio DJ

September 21 2005

DJ Khaled
99 Jamz (WEDR, 99.1-FM), www.wedr.com

"What's poppin', man?" DJ Khaled asks a caller to The Takeover, the show he hosts from 6 to 11 p.m. every Monday through Friday with on-air partner K. Foxx. Of course, it's his ability to know exactly what's poppin' that's made the New Orleans-born son of Palestinian immigrants an unlikely player on the Miami hip-hop scene. Coming down from Orlando in the 1990s, Khaled was one of the first DJs to spin hip-hop on the air in South Florida, keeping an ear to the ground with his regular club nights and displaying an uncanny knack for picking hits. Besides impressing 99 Jamz, Khaled also impressed Fat Joe, who made him a member of his Terror Squad; in fact, the rapper chose to record his solo album Things of That Nature at Khaled's Jerusalem studio. The Temple, Khaled's annual all-star birthday bash, has become one of South Florida's most anticipated hip-hop events, drawing thousands of partygoers every November to South Beach clubs such as Mansion, where it was held last year. The DJ called in lots of favors for This Ain't a Movie, Dogg!, a mix tape featuring performances by friends and colleagues from Fat Joe and Fabolous to Pitbull and Dirtbag. Check it out at www.djkhaledonline.com.