DJ Khaled Talks ‘Rhythm and Flow’ Season 2 (EXCLUSIVE)

Reciting positive affirmations in the morning can do wonders for the day, and DJ Khaled’s growing repertoire of signature phrases is the perfect place to source new material.

“We the best” and “Don’t ever play yourself” are sayings we should all add to our mental lexicon, and later this year, he’s bringing his iconic motivational speaking skills to Netflix’s Rhythm & Flow. DJ Khaled is joining co-judges Latto and Ludacris for Season 2, which is expected to return in 2024 after a two-year hiatus.

We sat down with Khaled, who opened up about judging the upcoming season of the reality TV competition series. Plus, the superstar shared sage advice for up-and-coming artists. Read on for more!

The encore season of Rhythm and Flow is coming to a small screen near you, introducing the world to a new slate of starving artists hoping to get their big break. Khaled, Latto, and Ludacris were tasked with discovering America’s next rap star, but it wasn’t easy.

“It was hard sometimes to tell somebody that ‘I thought you could have did better,’” he said. “But at the same time, I’m telling them — that doesn’t mean you’re not going to be the next biggest thing.”

He added: “When we had to judge, I always said, ‘I ain’t nobody to judge, but I can give you some keys. I think you need to fix this, or work on this, or do this.’”

Throughout the process, Khaled was careful not to count anyone out. After all, after almost two decades in the business, he’s no stranger to being slept on.

“I just don’t sleep on nobody because I know people slept on me. And that was a big mistake for them to do that — and I mean that in a humble way,” the producer said.

DJ Khaled’s massive fortune is no secret, and he has the keys to help rising stars see the same success.

At the end of the competition, the prevailing Rhythm and Flow contestant will take home a $250,000 prize. And while there are winners and losers in every competition, every loss is a win, according to Khaled.

“Sometimes you got to remind people that there’s hope. But you have to know it and want it and take those steps,” Khaled said. “Because you know, you not winning does not mean you didn’t win. That means that was just a step to the win.”

The producer added: “You smile when you want to smile and you can win when you want to win.”

However, Khaled warned that a career can’t survive off of hope alone — it takes persistence to be the best.

“It didn’t happen overnight for me,” Khaled shared. “I know it didn’t happen overnight for nobody.”

Now that Khaled has reached the top, he can enjoy the fruits of his labor. Between working on his new album and starring in Season 2 of Rhythm and Flow, Khaled doesn’t get a lot of downtime.

However, when he does find time to unwind, his handy dandy DJEEP lighter is always at his side. From the golf course to the studio, Khaled keeps one of the premium lighters on him at all times.

“I really flick lighters,” Khaled shared. “I love cigars, like on the golf course,” he added. “Then I also love Diptyque candles. I light my candles up and like, you know, put them in the studio around the house. It got that, that spa feel — that calm.”

“It’s this one particular lighter, you can flick with 3500 times,” he said of the premium smoke accessory, which, much like Khaled, drops fire every single time.

Learn more about DJEEP lighters here!