DJ Khaled Officially Named Prez Of Def Jam South, Stays Out Of Rick Ross/50 Cent Beef

Rumors began swirling around over the last few months that Miami radio personality DJ Khaled was appointed president of Def Jam South, but until now those claims were never confirmed.

According to MTV the gossip is true. Khaled, who partnered with the label last year for the release of XXL freshman alum Ace Hood’s debut, is now officially taking over the label’s Southern department, once occupied by Houston rapper Scarface.

"This is what I've always wanted to do, is be an executive and take it to another level," Khaled told MTV. "L.A. [Reid] just hit me one day. He was like, 'We should bring Khaled on board. He makes hits, he has relationships.' I got a team of producers and we go in hard. My job is to bring hits to the table and work with new artists and work with established artists. I'm bringing new energy to the game and to the building." [Watch Below]

Under the new position Khaled - who also produces under the alias Beat Novacaine -will be responsible for records by Ludacris, Young Jeezy, Ace Hood and of course Rick Ross. The Boss’ forthcoming album, Deeper Than Rap, will be the first release under Khaled’s watch. He also A&R'd the project.

While Ross is currently involved in a heated battle with rival 50 Cent, Khaled opts to stay out of the back and forth.

"I don't deal with negative energy, it's a waste of my time and my time is valuable," he said. "I keep negative away and stay positive.”

"At Def Jam, we promote music," he added. "We promote hit records. That's what I respect. I'm always going to represent the music; Rick Ross is gonna represent the music. If controversy comes with it, it comes with it. And boy, 'Magnificent' — Rick Ross featuring John Legend, that's Ricky Ross' first single — it's a monster. It's gonna be on and poppin'."

Deeper Than Rap hits stores on March 24. The album will feature appearances by Nas, Mary J. Blige and Lil Wayne. – Elan Mancini