To mark the release of his new Rihanna and Bryson Tiller collaboration "Wild Thoughts," DJ Khaled dropped by TheBreakfast Club Friday morning to discuss his upcoming album Grateful and to shed more light on the story behind Rick Ross' Birdman diss song, "Idols Become Rivals." Khaled, who's mentioned at the end of the Rather You Than Me single, said he still appreciates the opportunities Birdman gave him. As for Cash Money business dealings, Khaled declined to elaborate.
"You know, Ross is my brother since, like, day one," Khaled said when asked how he felt the first time he heard Ross' track. "That's family. Me and him come from the bottom, the mud to marble floors. When he shouted me out on that record, that's what you call a real friend, family...loves me and I love him back. Me and him are, like, forever. Music or no music. It's Khaled and Ross forever, meaning that's my brother. I appreciate the love and shout-out."
What Ross was expressing in that shout-out, Khaled said, was that he's a good and grateful person. "He was basically expressing 'Khaled's a hard worker, he a good person, he a grateful person, and everybody he's ever dealt with, he's always been good and he never complain,'" Khaled said. "Ross is basically saying, 'Khaled, he don't complain. He keep it moving.' I think y'all know me as a person. Y'all never heard me come and talk about people and stuff like that. He's basically saying, 'Yo, Khaled, You blessed. Keep winning. Don't stop.'"
Asked specifically about Birdman, Khaled took the high road. "Birdman, that's my friend," he said. "I wanna be clear. As far as anybody that has a situation, I pray and I hope that people can talk to each other and work things out. Birdman, all that is is, you know, at one point I just moved on with We the Best. I got nothing but love for Birdman. They gave me an opportunity. I appreciate every opportunity that's ever given to me. It doesn't matter what happens to the opportunity, it's an opportunity. It's an opportunity and I’m grateful for that." Back in March, a theory about Khaled's "they" being a Birdman reference caught fire.
Khaled also praised Birdman and Cash Money's legacy, telling the Breakfast Club team he hoped that "all that stuff" would be solved one day. "I don't discuss business," he said. "But at the end of the day, me and them are good."
Watch the full DJ Khaled x Breakfast Club interview, including some fatherhood talk and plenty of Grateful insight, above.
