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DJ Khaled, impresario and bon vivant, has attached his name to some of the biggest hip-hop hits of the past decade. Thing is, it’s often unclear what he actually does. He’s a producer, but rarely credited as doing such, and he does not rap on these tracks. Ask the average hip-hop fan what he actually does and they’ll likely tell you that he is a middleman, a broker. He brings people together for the sole purpose of making rap so resolutely dedicated to its own sense of superiority that it is impervious to criticism. And a truly great DJ Khaled song delivers a thrill not too dissimilar from, say, dunking on a seven-foot basket—you just feel at least three feet taller than usual. I mean, "Bugatti" had me convinced for at least 30 seconds that Ace Hood was a transformative, generational artist.
The track record of We the Best Music Group made the avid Miami Heat fan and NBA conspiracy theorist an obvious choice to curate the soundtrack for NBA 2k16, due out in late September—he isn’t being asked to make beats or scout talent. In addition to putting together a playlist, he’s being asked to perform in his most expert and entertaining capacity, as that of a megaphone and living brand. If you’ve heard any DJ Khaled track or seen any DJ Khaled interview, you can expect him to state in no uncertain terms, as often as possible, that "We The Best".
A few weeks after we spoke, the soundtrack for NBA 2k16 was released, and it appears to be the strongest one yet—you might even say it’s "The Best". Hell, it might be the best soundtrack for any sports game, though that could be damning by faint praise. After all, Madden16 just released its soundtrack and it includes the likes of Blackberry Smoke and a Yelawolf song that isn’t "Hard White (Up in the Club)". NBA 2k on the other hand, has wisely avoided the Bruce Levenson-style bullshit about how the NBA should be less affiliated with hip-hop in order to attract a wider demographic. As recently as NBA 2k12, you’d have to endure the likes of Middle Class Rut, James Bugg and lord help us—Chiddy Bang—while trying to figure out the proper six-move sequence to make a maneuver in the post. The next year, Jay Z was brought on as executive producer and the past two releases have been curated by LeBron James and Pharrell Williams, respectively.
When I sit down to discuss this exciting development in gaming with DJ Khaled, he gives me approximately seven minutes of his time to answer questions about his involvement. In the span of those seven minutes, he proclaims "we the best" about a dozen times. He wants to make this perfectly clear—otherwise, that’s how rumors get started about him not being The Best. Props to dude for being robotically on brand.
Pitchfork: When you use Create-a-Player in NBA 2k, are you modeled after your actual physical characteristics?
DJ Khaled: I’m one of them guys that tries to make everything the best of the best, so sometimes I’m out of control with it. I’m just gonna use every feature to make me outrageous—the best. Some of the guys when they play, they try to keep it reality. Nah, I need the best everything.
Pitchfork: Do have any favorite rock bands that you wanted to include?
Khaled: I don’t have no favorite rock bands. I’m a fan of rock music though. When I was a kid, I loved Van Halen and Guns N' Roses, y’know [sings "Welcome to the Jungle"]. I always wanted to redo that song hip-hop style, so maybe we can make it happen and call it "Welcome to the Jungle".
Pitchfork: Which NBA player truly embodies the "We the Best" philosophy?
Khaled: Definitely Michael Jordan. But if it’s someone playing right now, I would say, of course LeBron, D-Wade, Steph Curry, Westbrook, Kevin Durant, James Harden. They are the standout, "We the Best" logos of each team. Each team always has that one power player, even Carmelo. Those are the guys who would represent the logo.
Pitchfork: Who’s the best rapper in the NBA?
Khaled: Let’s give it to LeBron James for when he was singing that Fetty Wap song the other day, let’s let him live. [LeBron James’ agent] Rich Paul, what up boy!
Pitchfork: How did you decide what’s the best of We the Best when putting together the playlist?
Khaled: When I turn in my list, obviously every record was important to me. I didn’t just put records on there to put records on there. I was excited that "All I Do Is Win" could go on there because you hear it at the end of the game and that represents victory. That’s undeniable. You can’t hate on that, it’s impossible.
Pitchfork: Who’s more important to Miami, Dwyane Wade or DJ Khaled?
Khaled: Man, you trying to start a vibe! DJ Khaled and D-Wade, we represent Miami. It’s definitely Wade County, we love him. Khaled is Dade County. We are one. What’s so beautiful about Miami is that we support each other. We’re just one big family, not just the entertainers, just everyone in general. We call it "the Crib," the 305. Dade County for life.
Pitchfork: Were you rooting for the Warriors or the Cavs during the NBA Finals?
Khaled: I’m straight Miami Heat, but I had to get involved for the Finals. I’m not gonna lie, I was going for LeBron to win. First, I was gonna go with Steph Curry and the boys. I want to make it clear, I’m Miami Heat. But when I got into the coaching and the lifestyle, I wanted LeBron to win because he go hard, and I respect anybody that challenges odds. That’s when you know you’re the greatest, when you’re the greatest and people still put odds against you. I respect that because I feel that’s me.
Pitchfork: Now that emotions have settled and you’ve had a year to think it over, do you still believe the Spurs cheated by manipulating the air conditioning in the 2014 NBA Finals?
Khaled: Absolutely! I’m not taking no talk back, the Spurs did cheat in that game. When I was on "First Take", I was serious. I don’t know why people thought it was a game. They turned the AC off and you notice we lost because they messed up the whole cycle, dudes started cramping up, the vibe changed. People don’t realize there are tactics out there and the streets...they’re real out there. Trust me, that’s a whole ‘nother conversation, my brother.