# The Keys To Snapchat Success, As Told By DJ Khaled’s Snapchat

- Link: https://chatterblast.com/blog/the-keys-to-snapchat-success-as-told-by-dj-khaleds-snapchat/
- Published: 2016-01-26T20:47:48-05:00
- Author: Kyle Krajewski

A couple of months ago, I saw this tweet and laughed:

> when your mom adds you on snapchat [pic.twitter.com/gdzVHmRDVC](https://t.co/gdzVHmRDVC)
> — Fed Up Pepe (@FedUpPepe) [November 20, 2015](https://twitter.com/FedUpPepe/status/667713874754412544)

That’s **DJ Khaled**, the most relevant man on Snapchat, and as such, **_the most
relevant man in the world_**.  Khaled rose to fame in the 2000s as the guy that 
was in literally every rap song that ever came out, **_ever_**, not rapping, but
yelling **“****_DEEEEEEE JAYYYY KHALLLLLED!”_** at the beginnings.

Anyway. A few days after seeing that initial tweet, I saw the following and laughed
hysterically:

>  WHEN YOUR DENTIST ADDS YOU ON SNAPCHAT [pic.twitter.com/oh6jTfRZ0N](https://t.co/oh6jTfRZ0N)
> — NO CHILL (@NoChillPosts) [November 29, 2015](https://twitter.com/NoChillPosts/status/671103273194008576)

I’d officially had it, so I fired off a tweet of my own:

> what’s dj khaled’s snapchat username? need to add him
> — Kyle Krajewski (@kylekraj) [November 29, 2015](https://twitter.com/kylekraj/status/671109498388525057)

After a number of responses to my tweet, I’d found out that DJ Khaled’s Snapchat
username is **djkhaled305**.  I proceeded to add him and it was basically the best
thing I’ve ever done.  Here I am to report my findings.

### **How He Blew Up on Snapchat**

Already relatively famous (more than **_two million Twitter followers_**_),_ essentially
all Khaled had to do to secure his initial niche audience of current fans was fire
off a few tweets like this:

>  I’m goooooiiinnng in on snap chat right now !! Follow me on snap chat now djkhaled305
> — DJ KHALED (@djkhaled) [October 18, 2015](https://twitter.com/djkhaled/status/655639185039171584)

Gradually, through his unique behavior (_which will soon be discussed_), he would
slowly become a meme to this audience (_as seen in the tweets above_).  And become
a meme he did—a big, walking talking meme.  At this point, he just needed **one 
big stunt** to push him over the edge, making him truly viral.

On **Dec. 15, 2015**, DJ Khaled got lost at sea on his jet ski.  [He live-Snapchatted the entire thing](http://noisey.vice.com/blog/dj-khaled-got-lost-at-sea-on-his-jet-ski-but-dont-worry-hes-ok-now).
The Internet [went berserk](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23prayforkhaled%20since%3A2015-12-15%20until%3A2015-12-16&src=typd)
and everyone started adding him and talking about him. Honestly, take a couple minutes
and watch this.

### **Understanding the DJ Khaled Brand and Terminology**

DJ Khaled is incredibly confident in who he is.  As a “_mogul_” in the rap game 
and life in general, he knows all of the **keys to success**, as is illustrated 
by the following video:

Always eager to bestow his wisdom upon the world, Khaled’s Snapchat story is rarely
less than **_seven billion seconds_** long—chock full his of daily adventures: eating,
jet skiing, watering his plants, and running on his elliptical, all of which he 
does while offering the most insane, ambiguous life advice.  These are some of the
key points you need to understand to get through the day with DJ Khaled:

**‘They’:**_ Presumably ‘the man’ and/or ‘haters’ who do not want you to do things
that will lead to a happy life—Khaled lives his life in spite of the wishes of ‘
they.’_

**Chef Dee:** _Khaled’s jaded personal chef whom he greets every morning to “see
what’s up for breakfast.”_

**Breakfast:** _Egg whites, chicken sausage, turkey bacon, and of course, the key
to more success, __water__.  ‘They’ _**_definitely_**_ don’t want you to eat breakfast._

**T****he pathway to more success:** _the walkway to the outdoor patio at Khaled’s
large Miami home.  Everyday day he walks the pathway to more success and urges his
followers to join him on the metaphorical journey._

**Khaled’s plants: **_Commonly referred to as his “angles” (pronounced ‘angels,”
captioned ‘angles’).  He waters them. Probably way more than he should.  ‘They’ 
don’t want you to have an elegant garden._

**LION!!!!: **_A stone lion statues stands in Khaled’s garden, which borders the
pathway to more success.  Every time he passes it, he yells: “_**_LION!!!!_**_” 
often showering it as he waters his plants as well.  No one knows why._

**Lunch: **_While breakfast is the same thing everyday, lunch is not. Typically 
a smorgasbord of different foods, prepared by Chef Dee and suitable for a family
of ten, ‘They’ definitely don’t want you to eat it._

**The jet ski****_: _**_Most days, Khaled rides his jet ski and most days he gets
pulled over by the boat police for driving it like a jackass in no wake zones.  
He once live-Snapped himself getting lost at sea and the entire world panicked—see
above._

**Roadblocks:** _A roadblock is when the boat police pull you over on your jet ski
for driving it like a jackass in no wake zones.  “The key is to overcome it.”_

**Hammock talk:** _Words of wisdom, as seen in the video above, offered by Khaled
as he lays in his hammock._

**Elliptical talk: **_See “hammock talk” but substitute “as he lays in his hammock”
with “as he works out on his elliptical, drenched in sweat.”_

**Cloth talk: **_See elliptical talk but substitute “as he works out on his elliptical,
drenched in sweat” with “while showcasing DJ Khaled-themed merchandise that he wants
you to buy from his website: WeTheBestStore.com.”_

**Major****_ ?: _**_Pay close attention when you see this caption. It’s a _**_major_**
_key to success.  Keys often include brushing your teeth, applying cocoa butter,
and getting a fresh haircut._

Welcome to a day in the life of rap/life mogul DJ Khaled.  It’s consistent, it’s
the same thing every day, and it never ceases to amaze and enthrall.

### **The Results of Snapchat Stardom**

In mid-December, particularly after The Jet Ski Incident, DJ Khaled was officially
everywhere again, going from a C-lister in a genre of rap music that was slowly 
fading in popularity to a full-blown **A-lister** reaping in the benefits of **_social
media stardom_**.

**_Headlines_**

[⌊Blog1⌉⌊Blog1⌉[

[⌊Blog2⌉⌊Blog2⌉[

[⌊Blog4⌉⌊Blog4⌉[

[⌊Blog5⌉⌊Blog5⌉[

[⌊Blog3⌉⌊Blog3⌉[

**_Side note:_**_ Yeah—this actually _[_turned out to be fake_](http://noisey.vice.com/blog/dj-khaled-snapchats-credit-card-says-he-lost-80000-in-30-seconds)_.
But if you’ve got haters, you must be doing something right.  That’s something Khaled
would say? Right?_

**_Endless parody accounts_**

[⌊Blog6⌉⌊Blog6⌉[

 

**_Imitations_**

> Uber when it’s raining—major ?
> — Uber (@Uber) [January 6, 2016](https://twitter.com/Uber/status/684798197068267520)

>  Major ? Alert: If you need ID Theft alerts, we’ve got you covered. ? [#blessup](https://twitter.com/hashtag/blessup?src=hash)
> — MasterCard (@MasterCard) [January 11, 2016](https://twitter.com/MasterCard/status/686645932411191296)

> Dad’s on Snapchat [pic.twitter.com/5pxb7W6A0I](https://t.co/5pxb7W6A0I)
> — Brett LoGiurato (@BrettLoGiurato) [January 12, 2016](https://twitter.com/BrettLoGiurato/status/686996453068304384)

_Yeah, that’s the White House._

Chances are, you’ve also seen people imitating DJ Khaled’s Snap-style in Snaps of
their own.  Perhaps captioning a food snap with “_they don’t want you to eat breakfast.”_

Lots of other celebrities have been spotted doing the same: Justin Bieber, Calvin
Harris, Diplo, Antonio Brown, Taylor Swift, and _way_ more.

It’s an absolute viral sensation.

### **Monetization**

There is absolutely no way that DJ Khaled isn’t cashing out on his re-found fame.
I know this for several reasons:

 * **After a few weeks of beginning to follow Khaled, I noticed a significant amount
   of product placement beginning to pop up in his daily routine—particularly the
   popular vodka brand Ciroc.  The majority of his snaps end with the close up of
   the bottle of Ciroc Apple saying: “_Celebrate success right.  The only way.  
   Apple.” _Clearly something he was being paid to do.**

 * **His fan base has evidently grown tremendously—to the point where he can simply
   Snapchat an address at which his fans can briefly meet him, and where they will,
   every time, show up by the hundreds, shouting out his famous one-liners.**

Also, he’s currently been Snapchatting a stint of live concerts at which he’s been
performing.  All look to have been sold out shows.  You couldn’t argue that his 
new, viral fame has hurt him there.

 * **Just a day or so ago, I happened to catch a few Snaps of Khaled at the Snapchat
   headquarters, hanging out with the team and Snapchat CEO Evan Speigel:**

[⌊Screen Shot 2016-01-26 at 11.47.41 AM⌉⌊Screen Shot 2016-01-26 at 11.47.41 AM⌉[

_Oh yeah—he also has his own filters._

You can’t help but think there’s some kind of deal going on there with Snapchat 
trying to keep it’s newfound Golden Boy on the platform.  They’d sure love to see
that viral content keep coming on their app.

I used to think Snapchat was just fun—but I’m really beginning to realize that it’s
quite a powerful tool.

### **Conclusion**

If you’re not on Snapchat, get on it **_now_**.  You’re so late.  Next step?  Start
following DJ Khaled (**djkhaled305**) and do everything he says.  The man knows 
the way.