Already an American chart topper, Major Key confirms the unlikely rise of the tubby, Miami-based 40-year-old from New Orleans, formerly known as Khaled Mohamed Khaled.
More label executive, Snapchat sensation and producer than actual artist, he’s built so many bridges that his ninth album features contributions from Jay-Z on the dramatic I Got The Keys and a mellifluous Drake on For Free; Nas, Busta Rhymes, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne and, less predictably, a feisty Meghan Trainor on the peculiar, unsettling Forgive Me Father.
Although Khaled does little beyond binding the contributors together and shouting occasional slogans, Major Key doesn’t sink under the weight of its stellar guest list and J Cole’s rueful, state-of-the-nation turn on Jermaine’s Interlude is as spine-tingling as hip hop gets.
(Epic)