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DJ Khaled Says He Had to Chase Down Bryson Tiller for 'Wild Thoughts'
DJ Khaled had to go to great lengths to nail down his Bryson Tiller collaboration.
While promoting his upcoming album God Did on “Drink Champs,” Khaled recalled the process of making his 2017 hit “Wild Thoughts” featuring Rihanna and Tiller.
“‘Wild Thoughts,’ one of my biggest records, one of my favorite records, and a very special story behind it,” he said.
Khaled sent the song to Rihanna, but she ended up changing the pitch to better suit her voice, which required Bryson to re-record his vocals. He agreed but then Khaled never heard from him.
“He not picking up his phone,” he recalled. “I need this done, I got fu**ing Rihanna vocals.”
With the album deadline rapidly approaching, Khaled took matters into his own hands and drove to Bryson’s house in L.A.
“I jump in my car, I drive to his house,” he revealed. “He has a gate. I’m flashing my lights, honking my horn, sending texts, nobody’s replying… One thing about me, anybody know me, I don’t play no games.”
Khaled even climbed the front gate before Bryson eventually came outside. Khaled told him he needed the song ASAP. “He did it, I was just confused, meaning could you pick up your phone?”
It turns out that Bryson was busy gearing up for his surprise album drop, True to Self.
At the time, Bryson’s star was on the rise and he was hard to get a hold of. “He still special, he still incredible, but at that time it was like the rise of a new star but very fu**ing potent,” Khaled added.
Tiller recut his vocals and “Wild Thoughts” went on become a huge hit, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“I knew how big the record was, before it even came out, and when my gut tells me something, it’s like the holy grail,” Khaled said. “If I tell you my gut telling me something, just know we gonna win big.”
Khaled has more hits on the way. His new album God Did drops Friday featuring the single “Staying Alive” with Drake and Lil Baby, plus collaborations with 21 Savage, Roddy Ricch, Kanye West, Future, and more.