HAUTE MOVES

(L-r): The DJ Khaled x Air Jordan 5 “We The Best” collection and the limited-edition kicks in the “Court Purple” colorway

“Miami raised me to who I am right now, besides my family, obviously, and God,” he declares. “When you hear my sound, it’s inspired by Miami. I’m so grateful that my city loves me, and that my city knows my story — that I started off working hard, and that I’m still working hard. My whole empire was born in Miami; my growth came from the city. Everywhere I go all over the world, I represent the 305, Miami-Dade County. It’s a part of me.”

I always want to know why, and this time is no different. What is it about this city that inspires such pride, outside of being the place that made him a star? Khaled breaks it down for me.

“I would say there’s no city in the world like Miami. I feel like we are so blessed to have so much culture here. You’ve got Jamaicans, Haitians, Cubans, Latinos, Americans; I’m Palestinian American. I drive down the street, and I be in Cuba, I be in Puerto Rico, I be in Jamaica. All these beautiful, diverse people, all in one city. And from a musical perspective, it’s incredible, because if you’re a music producer or an artist, you can embrace so many different sounds. This city is unbelievable on so many levels.”

It’s also contributed to a plethora of opportunities that most of us can only imagine in our wildest dreams, like his upcoming, still-undated DJ Khaled x Air Jordan 5 ‘We The Best’ collaboration, a four-pair collection in retro colors that are sure to be collector’s finds, or his becoming the CCO of global sneaker retailer, Snipes. He’s in the midst of producing a secret record for some bigname artists, shooting several commercials, and also references a mind-blowing moment in his own personal career trajectory that he can’t really talk about, that involves traveling internationally for the first time to parts unknown for a “big, big show” that “people have been wanting for a long time.”

And beyond that? “What’s next would be more love, more blessings, and more wins. I’m doing a lot of things for my brand, my empire, my business; I have so much that I can’t wait to share with y’all, that I’ve been working on. I’m always in the studio. [My son] Asahd is playing basketball. He’s only five years old, and he’s playing like he’s in the NBA already. Aalam is two years old, and he caught fish off the dock. Everything that’s happening, big and small, is incredible, and it’s our job just to keep going.”

But one also needs to know when to press pause, and he’s a believer in that, too. “Sometimes, you need to sit back, look at life, and reflect. I’m watching my boys grow, and when I look at them, I see me. When I look at them, I see my queen. I look at them, and I see God. I see my vision and my work ethic and my creativity. And to be able to sit here, on my couch, with my son right across from me, watching TV, is a blessing, and I don’t take that for granted. Blessings don’t have to be big things — they can be the simplest thing ever, like sitting with my son, watching movies, having popcorn. But it’s those small moments that make me want to go harder, and continue to build the empire even bigger. Because really, I have no choice. I have two beautiful boys, and I’m going to do everything for them. I have to work hard as a daddy, to be there for my kids and my family.”

Which is why he chose to predominantly make God Did in his special place, at home in the Magic City. “You got to understand, when I made this album, I kept all distractions away from me. I was literally refusing millions of dollars while I was working on it. I wouldn’t even reply to people, and I still don’t know if that’s a good thing. I just know that while I was making it, I didn’t want any distortion; I wanted to be super pure,” he explains, sharing that he went to a different place in its creation — figuratively, that is (literally, we now know exactly where he was).

“You’ve got to remember, I’m a father. I want to be there when my kids come home from school. I want to be woken up in the place where my queen [wife Nicole Tuck] is getting my boys dressed for school,” he says. And so, he made sure that his family was always close by, whether that be at home while he toiled away in the studio, within sight on the beach while he filmed the music video for ‘Beautiful,’ or swimming in a nearby river while he shot the album’s cover on location in Jamaica.

“I can’t take all the credit for this album. Obviously, all glory to God, but you have to give credit to my queen, and my kids, too; that’s why I made them executive producers,” he says. (It’s true, and what’s more, his sons also guested on the album.)

He continues, “I’ve been blessed to have this life, and the love of my family, so I made a promise to myself, and that was to create an environment where I could have my family with me every step of the way. That’s the love I want to be around, non-stop.”

While this is in total alignment with what I’ve learned about Khaled thus far, I admit I’m surprised to learn about what he cherishes in those quiet moments where it’s just Khaled, alone in the universe, indulging and appreciating the rare silence.

The greatest luxury he can imagine is sitting at home in Miami, in his backyard, downing a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch with almond milk at 4:47 a.m. (to be exact), shirtless, in his boxers.

“The moments I really cherish are the simplest ones,” he admits. “I’m a real guy. When I become a billionaire, I’m still going to be this Khaled, the one you hear on the phone; the only difference is that I’ll be a billionaire. And I eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch at 4:47 a.m. That’s what I do when I’m reflecting on life, feeling peaceful. Me in the backyard, eating cereal, those are the kind of moments that I look forward to. I work so hard, and when I’m on the road, I just can’t wait to get home to the backyard. But you’ve got to keep going, and I’m just getting started. You know what I’m saying?”

Maserati Ghibli Trofeo

Bravissimo!

BY TIM LAPPEN

WHEN I WAS OFFERED A WEEK WITH THE MASERATI GHIBLI TROFEO, I didn’t immediately jump at the chance. I knew that the Ghibli was the younger sibling of the Quattroporte, and thought that it must be an underpowered, weaker family member. Boy, was I wrong.

The Ghibli — the smaller of the two four-door sedans in the Maserati family — is named after a strong, hot desert wind in Libya, also called a sirocco. This Maser comes in four flavors, with varying degrees of power and an increasing base price (see chart below).

The Trofeo (“Trophy”) model is clearly the most robust Ghibli in terms of competence and performance. The twin-turbo V8 engine has 538 lb-ft of torque, sufficient for even the most jaded to experience excitement. The eight-speed automatic transmission can also be operated via the paddle shifters, which is my preference. I especially like the throaty sound of the exhaust coupled with the g-force produced on acceleration.

While not too dissimilar in appearance from the other Ghiblis, it does have some special tri-color badging, a blacked-out grill, and carbon fiber at the front splitter and the front intakes. The V8 needs more air for breathing than the V6, so the Ghibli hood provides open vents, another distinguishing detail. The system is clearly effective, as I had no overheating problems during my time with this special car. It drove like a dream everywhere I went — not just to the grocery store or around for errands, but also so on some freeway runs and even up to Mulholland Highway.

On top of the base price, “mine” (for the week) had $25,000 in options, most notably the $3,200 “Pelletessuta,” woven Napa leather textile sports seats designed with Ermenegildo Zegna, of the custom-suit fame, so you know they’re top-drawer. An unusual and elegant fabric, it adds a special look to the Trofeo interior. The high-end sound system and anodized red brake calipers are de rigueur these days, and were included on my car ($2,500 and $1,500, respectively).

The Trofeo is a great car for driving — roomy enough for five passengers, a trunk large enough for their belongings, and enough power to thrill them all. The engine sound alone is worth the price of admission, and it’s even adjustable in case you want to tone it down for the neighbors. With the engine designed by Maserati and assembled by engineers at Ferrari, the gorgeous red cylinder heads on the motor portend what’s to come and look good doing so.

My time with the Trofeo ended way too quickly, but so be it. I had a great experience with the car and came away with a new-found admiration for the folks at Maserati who created it.

+ GHIBLI GT $82,300 base 345 hp V6 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds + GHIBLI MODENA $88,900 base 424 hp V6 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds + GHIBLI MODENA Q4 $91,600 base 424 hp V6 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds + GHIBLI TROFEO $118,500 base 580 hp V8 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds