Mr. Lexx raised some eyebrows when he decided to publicly call out DJ Khaled for not working with more local dancehall artists.
The dancehall veteran seems to be throwing shade at DJ Khaled, who is currently on the island wrapping up a video shoot for his upcoming album Khaled Khaled. Mr. Lexx took to Twitter to voice his opinion on Khaled’s latest visit to the island. He tweeted: “Every time Kahlid come ya a di same artist dem him use and di song dem nah hit. Kmt yea I said it.”
Social media users were quick to point out that it was not ‘Khalid’ that was on the island but Khaled, as in DJ Khaled and not the R&B singer Khalid. However, that seems to have been a typo on Mr. Lexx’s part. One use responded to his tweet with, “Khalid is a different artist. At least get the man name correct if u ago complain.”
Another user pointed out that Lexx’s statement was not correct, as Khaled has done albums that have featured various acts, namely Buju Banton, Mavado and Sizzla, who worked on the single “Holy Mountain” featured on the album Father of Asahd. A few called him out for his statement calling him “badmind” and also stated that Khaled was paying homage to some of the same artists who were rooting for him back in the early ’90s when he was new on the scene. A few also reminded Mr. Lexx that he has not had a hit song in a while. Thus, he could not have hoped to be included in any album DJ Khaled is working on.
Khaled has worked with Buju Banton, Mavado, Sizzla, and Bounty Killer in the past and has always represented dancehall and reggae music wherever he goes. Who can forget him having Diddy sharing a video dancing with his twins to music from Richie Spice, Khaled himself was also even seen in the video clip. The renowned producer is currently on the island putting the finishing touches on his 12th studio album, Khaled Khaled, due sometime this year.
While DJ Khaled is a big supporter of reggae/dancehall culture, it might be true that he has only worked with a handful of artists active in the genre over the years. We should also point out that the super-producer has maintained a close friendship with most of the artists he regularly works with, including Buju Banton and Bounty Killer.
Khaled often credits dancehall for helping launch his career back in the 90s and early 2000s when he was a young DJ trying to find his place in the blossoming hip hop and dancehall scene. Hardly anyone ever accused him of being a culture vulture since he not only always promote the genre but find ways of giving back, like traveling to Jamaica to record music and shoot music videos while promoting the island’s rich culture. He also signed dancehall artists like Mavado, among others, to his We The Best Music Group label and previously helped foster peace between Mavado and his former mentor Bounty Killer.
While some folks agree with Mr. Lexx that DJ Khaled perhaps should work with more dancehall artists like Popcaan, Shenseea, and other young acts, most folks don’t believe he should be criticized given his contribution to the culture.
