--- title: Understanding the Key Emoji, DJ Khaled's 'Keys to Success' description: DJ Khaled is here to help you realize your full potential. canonical: https://time.com/4172848/dj-khaled-keys-to-success/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-08T18:07:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:28:28.113Z og:title: Understanding the Key Emoji and DJ Khaled's 'Major Keys to Success' og:description: Don't play yourself og:url: https://time.com/4172848/dj-khaled-keys-to-success/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt36dbbabf2ca0494a/698878300a4a227e329c7cc6/dj-khaled-key-emoji.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: DJ Khaled Key Emoji og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Understanding the Key Emoji and DJ Khaled's 'Major Keys to Success' twitter:description: Don't play yourself twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt36dbbabf2ca0494a/698878300a4a227e329c7cc6/dj-khaled-key-emoji.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Understanding the Key Emoji and DJ Khaled's 'Major Keys to Success' > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=7d0c9bfd-e419-4007-b464-92b9b2ffc623&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1)  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 8, 2016 6:07 PM UTC  DJ Khaled Visits Dade County Citrus Grove Middle School on October 29, 2015 in Miami, Florida. DJ Khaled Visits Dade County Citrus Grove Middle School on October 29, 2015 in Miami, Florida. Aaron Davidson/Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 8, 2016 6:07 PM UTC Looking for a new source of inspiration in your life? Look no further. [DJ Khaled](http://time.com/3445188/fergie-la-la-love-new-music/) is here to help you realize your full potential. The 40-year-old music producer has become hugely popular on social media — specifically [Snapchat](http://time.com/3905523/snapchat-stuffed-animal/) — due in large part to the wisdom he imparts on his followers through his “[major keys to success.](http://www.theydontwantyouto.win)” Khaled offers fans snippets of advice about topics ranging from his general world view to life’s everyday trivialities, often utilizing the key emoji (🔑), which has since exploded in popularity. In fact, traffic to the Emojipedia [page for 🔑](http://emojipedia.org/key/) increased by 800 percent from November to December, according to [Quartz](http://qz.com/589381/key-emoji-major-key-snapchat/). Khaled — who has over 2 million followers on the picture messaging app — frequently shares gems such as, “Almond milk. Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Major key to success,” and, “The 🔑 is to weather the storm. It’s gonna rain some days. That’s how life is. It is what it is.” The president of Def Jam South also uses his keys to notify followers about “major” events, such as the possible debut of Kim Kardashian West’s Snapchat. > [](https://twitter.com/judycossioo/status/684510080990064640) **Read More:** [Snapchat’s Secret To Winning The 2016 Election](http://time.com/3934660/snapchats-secret-to-winning-the-2016-election/) The former radio DJ even appeared on _The Daily Show_ on Thursday to share some of his abundant knowledge. After filming a segment in his massive shoe closet, he dropped this truth bomb on correspondent Hasan Minhaj: “The key to success is to keep your head above water,” Khaled said. “See, this the key. Knowing is better than learning. I know that’s kind of weird. You might have to learn to know. But just know, when you know, it’s better than learning.” Everything is so clear now. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4172848/dj-khaled-keys-to-success/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4172848/dj-khaled-keys-to-success/"},"headline":"Understanding the Key Emoji and DJ Khaled's 'Major Keys to Success'","datePublished":"2016-01-08T18:07:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:28:28.113Z","description":"Don't play yourself","url":"https://time.com/4172848/dj-khaled-keys-to-success/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Social Media","Music","Technology","snapchat","Hip-Hop","Artists","DJ","emojis","dj khaled"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt36dbbabf2ca0494a/698878300a4a227e329c7cc6/dj-khaled-key-emoji.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt36dbbabf2ca0494a/698878300a4a227e329c7cc6/dj-khaled-key-emoji.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"DJ Khaled Key Emoji","caption":"DJ Khaled Visits Dade County Citrus Grove Middle School on October 29, 2015 in Miami, Florida.","creditText":"Aaron Davidson/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4172848/dj-khaled-keys-to-success/","name":"Understanding the Key Emoji and DJ Khaled's 'Major Keys to Success'"}}]}] ```