DJ Khaled is a media mogul of the highest degree, but it wasn’t always like that for him. In a new cover story for Complex, Khaled spoke with motivational speaker and self-help writer Tony Robbins, and the two went into detail about their earlier days when things were a bit different for them. Discussing their experiences with homelessness, they spoke at length about how they fought through the tougher times to get where they’re at now.
“When it all got taken away, I was becoming a young man,” Khaled said. “So I had to sacrifice to leave my family… Sleeping in my car, getting an apartment for a month and getting evicted the next month. Staying in the $25, $50 hotels. I stayed focused and I never surrendered, and now I’ve been blessed. now I take care of my mother, my father, and my entire whole family.” It’s definitely a far cry from his current status, but it’s nice to know Khaled was preaching his positive ways when he was younger, too.
Robbins shared his experiences with homelessness, too, adding, “Know where to park where they’re not gonna move you and give you a ticket. That was the first thing I learned. I learned to park outside of Denny’s because it’s 24-hours and they wouldn’t make you move.”
Watch the two talk about it above, and read the full cover story here.