DJ Khaled celebrated his 50th birthday on Nov. 26. A deeply personal gift from Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella executive Lenny Santiago made him feel 15 again.
Santiago visited Khaled in person and presented framed photos from his early days as a teenage DJ. The images showed Khaled standing beside an iconic red 1991 BMW M3. Khaled reacted immediately, saying, “That’s in the ’90s, I had an M3, hustlin.’”
A dream car from Khaled’s teenage hustle
The photos sparked some Wild Thoughts about the DJ’s first taste of success. Khaled explained how he bought the car as a teenager using money from hosting parties. “I bought an M3, and this M3, I put a system in it. I was like, 15, 16, and I put a system in it, and the whole car caught on fire.”
That’s when Santiago revealed the real surprise. He and Jay-Z had purchased another red 1991 BMW M3 for Khaled. The moment left him stunned. “You know how classic this is?”
When Khaled finally saw the car, the emotion poured out. “Y’all gonna make me cry, don’t do this. Yo, I was selling Pelle Pelles out the back of the trunk, mixtapes, I used to sell alligator shoes out the back of this trunk. This that real deal. … Lenny S and Jay-Z got me an M3.” Here’s to hoping DJ Khaled enjoys his new gift. And leaves installing the sound system to the professionals this time around.
