DJ Khaled’s Grateful is a proud ode to his son, Asahd

Khaled released Grateful earlier this year in honor of his son, whose image is featured on the album art. In addition, the album features 23 tracks because Asahd’s birthday is October 23. Asahd is even credited with Executive Producer on the album.

Grateful, which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, features a laundry list of top artists. It boasts collabs with Beyonce, Drake, Justin Bieber, JAY Z and Rihanna, among others. Chance the Rapper, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj and Future are just some of the artists who appear on the album multiple times.

In 2017, no one has the attention span required to fully absorb and appreciate 23 songs. The album’s runtime is an hour and 27 minutes, which is just too long. Many of the songs, especially as you listen further down the tracklist, tend to blend together. There are some definite bops on the album, but there are also some songs that are clearly just filler. As adorable as the idea behind 23 tracks is, Grateful could have benefitted from some cuts.

Most of the standout songs are on the first half of the album. Featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne, “I’m the One” was one of the biggest songs of the summer. The pop song is the perfect summer anthem. The ninth song on the album features Alicia Keys and Nicki Minaj. The only way to tell that “Nobody” is a DJ Khaled song is the beginning, which opens with his signature “We the best music! Another One! DJ Khalid!” Minaj and Keys come together to create a soulful track that stands out on Grateful.

“I Love You So Much” features Chance The Rapper singing the ABC’s as a part of this anthem to Asahd. The song captures the listener’s attention with the rendition of the ABCs in the middle of DJ Khaled repeatedly saying how much he loves his son. Musically, this song is not the greatest. It is a bit repetitive and there is a lot happening in the background track. But this song connects directly to the theme of the whole album: DJ Khaled’s unending love for his family.

On the second half of the album, only Fat Joe and Raekwon’s “Billy Ocean” stands out. The beat and pacing of the track has an old school feel. Both Fat Joe and Raekwon’s raps are clean and raw.

Grateful’s saving grace is the list of features throughout the album. Every listener is going to like different songs based on which artists they gravitate towards. There are some songs that are clearly stronger than others, but even the songs that should have been cut will attract fans just for their features. In a world where the majority of listeners are not listening to any one CD in order, Grateful was able to do well. In the past, when people purchased CDs and listened to an entire album in order of the track listing, Grateful would not have done as well. The album cannot be listened to in one sitting.