Khaled and Bun B (Andy O’Connor / FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
It’s shocking that DJ Khaled chose to appear at the Music portion of SXSW and not Interactive. He first came to prominence with his association with artists like Rick Ross and Terror Squad, but it’s his Snapchat, filled with daily “keys to success” (let’s be honest, you didn’t know your phone had a key emoji until he came along), a consistent, if not exactly in-depth, look at his diet (some Austinites might appreciate that he’s going vegan for 22 days) and warnings to stay away from the shadowy force known as “They,” that has really elevated his status. 10-second bursts and the temporary nature of Snapchat aren’t obstacles for him; this is especially true if you remember the saga of him getting lost on his jetski last winter. It may be his true medium, mores than music, and his performance at Austin Music Hall last night was almost like getting the, um, keys to his Snapchat password.
Khaled’s performance wasn’t a performance in the traditional rap sense. Persona is important in hip-hop, and while a concert is usually reinforcing that persona through songs, for Khaled, it’s just about going all in to the persona itself. He is excellent as saying the same thing over and over again, substance notwithstanding. And his show was more of a string of catchphrases than actual musical performance. Railing against haters is pretty common, but Khaled’s talk of “They” goes way beyond that, making them into a faceless, formless entity programmed to bring you down. He gave the audience an enemy, and that purposes charged them up and made them yell ferociously for Khaled, as ill-defined as the enemy is. At one point, Khaled asked the audience if they were “ready for some real hip-hop.” Khaled is much more about promoting himself than artistic integrity, which is part of the fun, but let’s not pretend “real hip-hop” is something “they” have used against him.
Through “the pathway to more success,” he sells that same old American story that if you work hard — and it has nothing to do with who you know! — you too will one day get paid a lot of money to say “Congratulations, you played yourself.” How will you really get there? He doesn’t have the answers, and when you’re just selling the promise, answers aren’t necessary. Sloganeering has always been part of the Khaled Way — he’s yelled “We The Best” in too many songs to name — and now, it’s taken on a icky feel-goodness. Khaled’s sayings went from unintentional humor to mandatory declarations — nothing about this show felt accidental. It was a monument to how much he believes in himself, where he doesn’t know what doubt means. To be fair, it’s a pretty great way to get a crowd pumped up. He’s like if Rod Blagojevich had a really cool sneaker collection instead of a bad haircut.
Predictable as his manner was, there was some fun to be had. Khaled’s first guest was Wyclef Jean, who received a warm response, but Jean couldn’t hold a lighter, much less 25 of them, to Port Arthur’s own Bun B. The crowd sang along to “Big Pimpin’” so loudly that Bun could hardly get a word in of his own song. After a couple songs, Khaled says “Another one” to the DJ, reinforcing his brand, and the DJ goes into Bun B’s classic “Get Throwed” and everyone loses their minds. Bun B even shouted out Southern rap icon Lil Boosie, who didn’t perform but was in the audience. 2 Chainz also made a surprise appearance, faking hesitation to perform more when Khaled invoked the will of “the fans” to do so. Nas performed right after him, and while Khaled’s show was one big lead-up to his performance, it also paled in comparison to the display of Khaled’s arrogance. The onslaught of special guests is one of those things you look forward to at SXSW. “OMG, 2 CHAINZ JUST SHOWED UP” is never a bad thing to tweet. It also reinforced the perception that Khaled is perhaps the ultimate hanger-on or stage potato, riding on others’ successes without doing much to distinguish himself. Except for coming on to “All I Do Is Win,” barely any of his actual music was played. His idea of a show is showing off his famous friends who make music he likes. And if those friends include Nas and Bun B, you don’t actually need to feature your own music, do you?
