DJ Khaled hits Platinum in US, rumoured to be eyeing Epic top job

DJ Khaled’s I’m The One has been certified platinum in the United States, for sales and streams of 1 million.

The milestone comes two weeks after it went gold with 500,000 sales and equivalent streams.

The mellow single, stacked with features from Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper, Lil Wayne and Quavo, debuted at #1 on the Billboard chart and is currently #2 on the TMN Hot 100 after just three weeks in the charts. 

“ANOTHER ONE !! I will never stop!! #IMTHEONE PLATINUM!!!!!!” he announced on Instagram, before adding that he would announce the release date of the song’s parent album Grateful (his tenth) “soon! Very soon!”

Shining, the first single off Grateful, was released in February through Tidal, and featured Beyoncé and Jay-Z, whose management company Roc Nation he joined early last year. 

A rumour is circulating is that Khaled is eyeing the Chairman of Epic Records job, which was recently and suddenly vacated by L.A. Reid following sexual harassment allegations.

He’s certainly using his #1 success on the charts to petition for the job, said the US-syndicated Page Six column. 

It quoted an industry insider source as saying, “He was petitioning to get that job. He’s like, ‘I make more happen than anyone in the game, why would I not be considered to run the label?’" 

The same source dismissed Khaled’s chances, calling him "a big hype machine — not a person who’s running a record label. My guess is [Sony Music UK CEO] Jason Iley will run either Columbia or Epic or they will take [RCA president] Tom Corson . . . and put him at Columbia or Epic.”

DJ Khaled, though, is not without experience in running a record company.

In 2009, he became the president of Def Jam South and is also CEO and founder of We The Best Music Group.

Born in New Orleans to immigrant Palestinian musicians, he was a host on a Miami urban radio station (championing unknowns as Birdman and Lil’ Wayne) and a DJ for hip hop group Terror Squad. 

He went on to produce records for Fabolous, Terror Squad and Fat Joe before launching his own solo career.

In 2016, he penned a book called The Keys, which included his opinions on success, real life stories, and mogul talk.