If you listen to music, chances are you may have come across a certain DJ Khaled. Although now known for his rather extravagant lifestyle, flaunting cars, cash, and excess, the media personality wasn’t exactly born into extraordinary wealth. As he often points out, the man had humble beginnings, and his most recent Instagram upload reaffirmed things after being reminded of his hustle days while celebrating his 50th birthday.
In the video, Lenny Santiago, a veteran of the music business and a close friend, can be seen gifting DJ Khaled a model car at first and later the life-sized version itself. The car? A red 1991 BMW M3. As it turns out, the E30 homologation special was a birthday gift from Lenny S. and famed hip-hop artist, Jay-Z.
The car holds a special place in his heart, as he points to some of the photos shared by Lenny, reminding him of his struggles during the early days of his career. In the words of Mr Khaled himself, “In the ‘90s I had an M3, hustlin.’… I bought an M3, and this M3, I put a system in it. I was like, 15, 16, and I put a system in it, and the whole car caught on fire.”
Perhaps not the ending we had in mind, but things turned out for the best, shall we say. A red E30 M3 is part of the Khaled family again, sharing space with some of the finest the automotive world has to offer. Oh, and it’s running the vanity plate “WTB-M3.”
DJ Khaled/Instagram
Recalling the hustle and grind, DJ Khaled quickly switched to the motivational speaker in him, saying, “Listen, the vision was so clear. We used to do parties, rent out halls and we used to charge $5 at the door, and the flyers were graffiti. … I was selling Pelle Pelles out the back of the trunk, mixtapes, I used to sell alligator shoes out the back of this trunk.“
One thing we’re certain is that this car won’t be as ill-fated as his previous E30 M3. This particular BMW means a lot to the artist-turned-entrepreneur, and having it gifted on his 50th birthday after achieving all that he has makes the whole exercise feel pure and heartwarming.
