Victory (DJ Khaled album)
Encyclopedia
Victory is the fourth studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by Miami based mixtape DJ and Terror Squad
Terror Squad (group)
Terror Squad is an American hip hop collective that was first established in 1998. Based in The Bronx borough of New York City, the members of Terror Squad collectively debuted on a song in member Fat Joe's album Don Cartagena...

 member, DJ Khaled
DJ Khaled
Khaled bin Abdul Khaled , better known by his stage name DJ Khaled, is an American record producer, radio personality, DJ, and record label executive. He is a radio host for the Miami-based urban music radio station WEDR and the DJ for the hip hop group Terror Squad. In 2006, Khaled released his...

. It was released on March 2, 2010. under the We the Best Music Group
We the Best Music Group
We the Best Music Group is a record label founded by DJ Khaled. It is distributed through Def Jam Recordings, Interscope-Geffen-A&M and Universal Motown.-Artists:* DJ Khaled* Ace Hood* Cameo* Hollyhood Bay Bay* Cubic Z* Ice Berg* Jarvis* Red Rum...

 imprint of E1 Records.

Background

Khaled has been working on his fourth LP as executive of Def Jam South
Def Jam South
Def Jam South is the southern division of Def Jam Recordings. The label is best-known for launching the career of Ludacris and his Disturbing tha Peace group and label. In 2003, the label shut down but was relaunched in 2005...

. He stated the name Victory represents the struggle to get to a victory and that he inspires people with his music.

Guests

He confirmed Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...

 and Drake
Drake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....

 as two guests on the album, fellow Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 artists such as Plies
Plies (rapper)
Algernod Lanier Washington , better known by his stage name Plies, is an American rapper and founder of Big Gates Records. Born in Fort Myers, Florida, Washington was a wide receiver on the football team of Miami University in Ohio in 1996 and 1997 before he became a rapper. After dropping out of...

 and Rick Ross
Rick Ross (rapper)
William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...

 are also confirmed to have appearances on the album. Khaled has said that Young Jeezy
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...

 will be featured on many songs and have a "major" role in the album, However the final tracklist only includes Young Jeezy on two tracks, and said he no longer has a major role even through DJ Khaled said that he is a major part of his album. Instead, We the Best labelmate Schife is the one who has a "major" role on the album. In an interview with OnSmash, Khaled confirmed that T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...

, Schife, Red Rum, John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...

, Bun B
Bun B
Bernard Freeman better known by his stage name Bun B, is an American rapper and was one half of the southern hip hop duo UGK . He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University located in Houston, Texas...

, Birdman, Soulja Boy
Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
DeAndre Cortez Way , better known by his stage name Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or simply Soulja Boy, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, entrepreneur, and internet personality....

, Diddy
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...

, Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...

, and Pitbull
Pitbull (rapper)
Armando Christian Pérez , better known by his stage name Pitbull, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. His first recorded performance was from the Lil Jon album Kings of Crunk in 2002, after which he released his debut album in 2004 titled M.I.A.M.I. under TVT Records...

 would all appear on the album.
Khaled also confirmed on the set of the "Fed Up
Fed Up
"Fed Up" is the first single from DJ Khaled’s fourth studio album Victory, which was released on March 2, 2010. The track features artists Usher, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross and Drake. It was leaked on October 28, 2009...

" video that Nelly
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...

, Lil Boosie
Lil Boosie
Torrence Hatch , better known by his stage name Lil Boosie, is an American rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Hatch was bestowed the nickname Boosie by his family, and he was raised in southside Baton Rouge...

, Buju Banton
Buju Banton
Buju Banton is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae musician.Banton has recorded pop and dance songs, as well as songs dealing with sociopolitical topics....

, Ace Hood
Ace Hood
Antoine McColister, better known by his stage name Ace Hood, is an American rapper. He is signed to DJ Khaled's label We the Best Music Group and Def Jam Recordings...

 and Jarvis have features on the album, he also has been talking to Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

, Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...

 and Chris Brown about possible collaborations, however he said that Shyne
Shyne
Moshe Levi Ben-David , better known by his stage name Shyne, is a Belizean rapper.-Background:...

 and Chris Brown, Eminem and Kanye West no longer appear on this album. He claimed that Shyne's absents was a last second change, as he was ineligible to put the track on the album since it leaked a week earlier. Khaled confirmed that he was in the process of working with various producers such as, Pharell, Cool & Dre
Cool & Dre
Cool & Dre are a team of hip hop producers from Miami, Florida, consisting of Marcello "Cool" Valenzano and Andre "Dre" Christopher Lyon.-Epidemic Records:...

, and DJ Nasty. He also stated throughout the series that he also had worked with, or is in the process of recording with Jim Jones
Jim Jones (rapper)
Joseph Guillermo Jones II , better known by his stage name Jim Jones, is an American rapper and original member of The Diplomats, also known as Dipset. He is Co-CEO of Diplomat Records...

, Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...

, and Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...

 In episode eleven, Khaled confirmed rappers, Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...

, and Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...

, are also featured on the album. All of those guests made it to the final tracklist.

With this album, Rick Ross, Bun B and Birdman are the only artists to appear on all four of DJ Khaled's album. Trick Daddy
Trick Daddy
Maurice Young , better known by his stage name Trick Daddy, is a certified platinum American rapper and producer from Miami, Florida.-Music career:...

, Brisco
Brisco (rapper)
British Alexander Mitchell , who performs under the stage name Brisco, is an American rapper.-Early life:Mitchell grew up in Opa-locka, Florida. His mother died when he was 9, and four years later; at age 13, his brother was killed in a car accident...

 and Fat Joe
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....

, along with production duo Cool & Dre
Cool & Dre
Cool & Dre are a team of hip hop producers from Miami, Florida, consisting of Marcello "Cool" Valenzano and Andre "Dre" Christopher Lyon.-Epidemic Records:...

, are absent after being on Khaled's three previous albums.
Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...

 was origially going to appear on the album with the song "All My Life, but the track was removed from the final tracklist, leaving Akon absent from the album.

Singles

  • The first official single was "Fed Up
    Fed Up
    "Fed Up" is the first single from DJ Khaled’s fourth studio album Victory, which was released on March 2, 2010. The track features artists Usher, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross and Drake. It was leaked on October 28, 2009...

    ". It was released on October 28, 2009. It features Usher
    Usher (entertainer)
    Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...

    , Young Jeezy
    Young Jeezy
    Jay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...

    , Rick Ross
    Rick Ross (rapper)
    William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...

    , Drake
    Drake (entertainer)
    Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....

    . It peaked at #45 on The Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop songs. The album version features an extra verse from rapper Lil Wayne
    Lil Wayne
    Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...

    .

  • The second official single was "Put Your Hands Up
    Put Your Hands Up (DJ Khaled song)
    "Put Your Hands Up" is the second single from DJ Khaled’s fourth studio album Victory. The track features artists Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Plies and Schife. It was officially released on February 8, 2010 along with "All I Do Is Win"...

    ". It was released on February 8, 2010. The song features Schife, Young Jeezy
    Young Jeezy
    Jay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...

    , Rick Ross
    Rick Ross (rapper)
    William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...

     and Plies
    Plies (rapper)
    Algernod Lanier Washington , better known by his stage name Plies, is an American rapper and founder of Big Gates Records. Born in Fort Myers, Florida, Washington was a wide receiver on the football team of Miami University in Ohio in 1996 and 1997 before he became a rapper. After dropping out of...

    . Plies is not featured in the official video, and his part in the song skips over to Rick Ross. The music video premiered along with the video for All I Do Is Win
    All I Do Is Win
    "All I Do Is Win" is the second official single from DJ Khaled’s fourth studio album Victory. The track features artists T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross. It was released on February 8, 2010, along with "Put Your Hands Up". The single was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA. It is the...

    .

  • The third official single is "All I Do Is Win
    All I Do Is Win
    "All I Do Is Win" is the second official single from DJ Khaled’s fourth studio album Victory. The track features artists T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross. It was released on February 8, 2010, along with "Put Your Hands Up". The single was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA. It is the...

    ". It was released on February 8, 2010 along with the video for "Put Your Hands Up" on BET
    Black Entertainment Television
    Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...

    's 106 and Park. The song features T-Pain
    T-Pain
    Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...

    , Ludacris
    Ludacris
    Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...

    , Rick Ross
    Rick Ross (rapper)
    William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...

     and Snoop Dogg
    Snoop Dogg
    Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...

    . The song peaked at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100
    Billboard Hot 100
    The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

    . It is the most successful single off the album. It was also on America's Best Dance Crew
    America's Best Dance Crew
    America's Best Dance Crew, often abbreviated as ABDC, is an American competitive dance reality television series that features street dance crews from the United States and around the world. It is produced by American Idol judge Randy Jackson and airs on MTV...

     in their Champions for Charity episode.

  • "On My Way", featuring Kevin Cossom
    Kevin Cossom
    Kevin 'K.C.' Cossom is an American singer, Grammy-nominated songwriter, producer and arranger. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in Orlando, Florida, Cossom has written for a variety of artists including Keri Hilson and Mary. J Blige...

    , Bali, Ace Hood
    Ace Hood
    Antoine McColister, better known by his stage name Ace Hood, is an American rapper. He is signed to DJ Khaled's label We the Best Music Group and Def Jam Recordings...

    , Ball Greezy, Iceberg, Rum, Desloc, Triple C's
    Triple C's
    Triple C's, also known as Carol City Cartel, is a hip hop group founded by Rick Ross. It includes members Gunplay from Miami, Torch from the Bronx, New York, and Young Breed.-Early career:...

     member Gunplay
    Gunplay
    Gunplay is a general term for the discharge or exchange of gunfire. It may also refer to:* Gunplay , a comic series from Platinum Studios* Gunspinning, aka gun twirlingIn film:...

    , and Young Cash, also charted on the U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at #116.

Commercial Performance

It debuted on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 at #14, the R&B/hip hop chart at #5 and The Top Rap Chart at #2 behind Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...

's Rebirth
Rebirth (Lil Wayne album)
Rebirth is the seventh studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released February 2, 2010, on Cash Money Records, Young Money Entertainment and Universal Motown. Originally set to be released in early 2009 before several delays, the album was produced primarily by Cool & Dre, DJ Infamous, DJ...

, selling 28,000 copies. This is his lowest charting album so far since his debut album. It is also his lowest selling album. DJ Khaled's Victory fell 51 spots in its second week. The release remains short of 40,000 units sold in two weeks. It has since sold around 80,000 copies.

Critical Performance

The album received mixed reviews.

David Jeffries of allmusic.com called the album a "fist-pumping song cycle of triumph in the hood". He called the five-star lineup of T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, and Rick Ross on "All I Do Is Win" the gold medal track, with the Young Jeezy showcase "Put Your Hands Up" winning the silver. He stated Bun B
Bun B
Bernard Freeman better known by his stage name Bun B, is an American rapper and was one half of the southern hip hop duo UGK . He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University located in Houston, Texas...

's help on the song "Rockin’ All My Chains On" helps score the bronze, giving the track a slight edge over the hood reggae number “Killing Me,” which partners Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...

 with Jamaican stars Buju Banton
Buju Banton
Buju Banton is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae musician.Banton has recorded pop and dance songs, as well as songs dealing with sociopolitical topics....

 and Bounty Killer
Bounty Killer
Bounty Killer is a Grammy nominated Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. He is the founder of a dancehall collective known as The Alliance.-Early life and career:...

. Through intros and shout-outs, Khaled puts more of himself into this personal, story-telling album, and while this supposedly troubled effort seems complete and sound, for the most part. He disliked the closing song "Rep My City" saying that it "is the least satisfying number and is best thought of as a bonus track". In conclusion he said "(the album) is as satisfying as his other mega-star-studded albums, with the added benefit of being more cohesive and significantly more purposeful.

Edwin Ortiz of hiphopdx.com prasied the single Fed Up
Fed Up
"Fed Up" is the first single from DJ Khaled’s fourth studio album Victory, which was released on March 2, 2010. The track features artists Usher, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross and Drake. It was leaked on October 28, 2009...

 with an all-star lineup and a catchy Hook by Usher. But said the song "On my Way" got a bit tiring with eight different artists on the track. He also disliked the songs "Bring the Money Out" and "Rockin all my Chains". Talking about "Rockin all my Chains" he stated that it’s almost downright unfair to put Birdman and Soulja Boy on the same song as Bun B. He applauded Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...

' performance in "Victory". In conclusion he said that "We may look back on DJ Khaled’s legacy in Hip Hop and see some shining moments. However, Victory as a whole product will certainly not be one of them."

Track listing

Writers by Allmusic.com.

Chart positions

Chart (2010) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

14
U.S. Billboard Top Independent Albums 1
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

5
U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums
Top Rap Albums
Top Rap Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks Rap and hip-hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart began publication for the week of November 13, 2004....

2
Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...

56
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