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Grateful is the tenth studio album by American musician DJ Khaled. It was released on June 23, 2017, by We the Best Music Group and Epic Records. The album features guest appearances from a wide array of artists, including Future, Travis Scott, Rick Ross, Migos, Chance the Rapper, Nicki Minaj, Kodak Black, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Jay Z, Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne, Drake, Rihanna, Sizzla, Mavado, Nas, Calvin Harris and Betty Wright, among others.
The cover art was released alongside the album's third single on June 5, 2017, and featured Khaled's son Asahd, who was born in October 2016. Asahd was also revealed to be acting as the album’s executive producer, with his father taking to talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! in March 2017 to explain the reasoning and process behind his son’s position on the album, stating:
He is credited as executive producer, and his attorney has his points and royalties, everything. Listening to the songs, going over the business part of it, if the vocals are right, if the beats are right, if the energy’s right. When he , those are smash hit records, when he , that’s the real serious records but hits with substance. It’s a vibe, you know what I mean? Believe it or not, the poops and the throw-ups are super blessings. Those are actually the real good ones. He actually threw up on me while I was mixing and working on "Shining", and when he threw up on me, that a blessing.
The album also saw production from an array of producers, including several in-house producers from Khaled's We the Best Music Group record label. Cool & Dre and Nasty Beatmakers co-produced two of the album's singles, which were heavily influenced by the musical styles present in Miami. The former also contributed toward three additional songs on the album, teaming up with 808-Ray for each effort. Other in-house producers Danja and Lee on the Beats additionally provided production, with Khaled enlisting the duo on several occasions prior for his previous albums. Khaled later worked with Scottish producer and disc jockey Calvin Harris, who also received a co-artist credit for "Don't Quit". Further production for the album was comprised by producers Nic Nac, Ben Billions, DannyBoyStyles, the Beat Bully, Schife, StreetRunner, and Azzouz.
The album's lead single, "Shining", was released on February 12, 2017. It features guest vocals from American singer Beyoncé, and rapper Jay Z. The single was produced by DJ Khaled and Danja, and was also co-written by Canadian singer PartyNextDoor. It was premiered following the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, and peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"I'm the One" was released as the album's second single on April 28, 2017. The song features guest appearances from Canadian singer Justin Bieber, and American rappers Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne. It also saw production from DJ Khaled, as well being co-produced by Nic Nac. "I'm the One" debuted at number one, becoming Khaled's first number one single on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as also topping the charts in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.
The third single from the album, "To the Max", was released on June 5, 2017. The single features Canadian rapper Drake, and was produced by Khaled and Cool & Dre. The song marked the fifth collaboration between the pair, and contained sampling from an array of musical genres, including bassline and alternative rock. "To the Max" peaked at number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been removed in some regions for unknown reasons.
"Wild Thoughts" was released as the fourth single from the album on June 16, 2017. The single features Barbadian singer Rihanna and American singer Bryson Tiller, and was produced by Khaled and Nasty Beatmakers. Khaled had previously collaborated with Tiller on Major Key, but the single marks his first collaboration with Rihanna. Khaled described his attempts to court Rihanna for a feature appearance on an album for several years in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, stating "seven, eight years I've been trying to do this. I always put the kites out there that I wanted to work with her I was always getting the right record ready see if something comes back that's possible." The single housed elements of Latin pop and contemporary R&B, and debuted at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
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