Father of Asahd

When he was only a year old, DJ Khaled’s son Asahd was listed as executive producer of his father’s 10th album, Grateful. Still the apple of his father’s eye some two years later, the heir to the throne is honored in an album title, the hit-making producer rebranding himself as simply Father of Asahd. For all the inspiration parenthood might have given him, though, Khaled is still a masterful curator of unlikely collaborations, uniting disparate forces of culture like Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, and Quavo on “No Brainer” while placing New Jersey native and G.O.O.D. Music signee 070 Shake among dancehall royalty Buju Banton, Sizzla, and Mavado on “Holy Mountain.” In these, Khaled is able to bridge gaps in music and cross-pollinate fan bases, revealing a compatibility that only he'd known until that point. There are of course the pairings of like-minded artists who had yet to share a song with each other (Nipsey Hussle and John Legend on “Higher,” Travis Scott and Post Malone on “Celebrate”), which present long-adored artists in a new light, and also a couple of solo showcases (SZA’s “Just Us,” Big Sean’s “Thank You”). But if there’s anything Khaled is really showing his son with this project, it’s that daddy’s been doing this a long time.