Justin Bieber Made DJ Khaled Play Hockey Before Recording “I’m the One”
Putting together a platinum-selling hit like DJ Khaled's "I'm the One" takes persistence and an impeccable imagination. Apparently, it also takes a game of ground hockey.
Khaled says as much in new interview with Billboard, where he recalls the time his good friend Justin Bieber, who sings the hook on the track, invited him to his house to discuss the song while it was still in its infancy.
At the time, Khaled had recently secured the Nic Nac-produced instrumental for what would become "I'm the One," and he already knew he wanted Bieber to sing the hook on the song. With this in mind, Khaled took no chances when it was time to persuade the Canadian entertainer to join the track.
“I hung up, jumped in the Rolls and brought a PA just to make sure I presented it right,” says Khaled, recounting the moment Bieber invited him to his crib to pitch the track. The catch? Khaled wasn't able to leave the grounds until he played ground hockey with the singer. Ultimately, everything worked out, even though Khaled says he "took the beating" of playing ground hockey for the song. No pain, no gain.
Khaled's been pretty much everywhere in 2017. After covering the Spring 2017 issue of XXL Magazine and landing a platinum hit with "I'm the One," Khaled's even appeared in a new trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming. You can peep that for yourself below.
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