The album features guest appearances from Jay-Z, Future, Drake, Nas, Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar, Betty Wright, J. Cole, Bryson Tiller, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, August Alsina, Jeremih, Rick Ross, Kodak Black, Jeezy, French Montana, YG, Yo Gotti, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Jadakiss, Fabolous, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Kent Jones, Travis Scott, Lil Wayne, Meghan Trainor, Wiz Khalifa, Wale, and Mavado.

In late 2015, Khaled became highly popular on Snapchat, sharing his advice that he calls his "keys to success", utilizing the 'key' emoji as a symbol of his knowledge.

[6] On May 28, 2016, DJ Khaled shot and posted a photo for the album cover artwork, featuring him sitting on a throne, and a bunch of flowers surrounding him and a live lion.

[11] The song features a guest appearance from Canadian rapper Drake, with production by Nineteen85 and Jordan Ullman, co produced by Frankie Cutlass.

[15] "Do You Mind" featuring Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, August Alsina, Jeremih, Future and Rick Ross, was released as the fourth single on July 28, 2016.

[18] Andy Kellman of AllMusic said, "The contrast between Khaled's all-positive demeanor and his facilitation of buccaneering misogyny is stark as ever here, most evident in tracks like "Work It" and "Pick These Hoes Apart".

"[19] KC Orcutt of Consequence of Sound said, "As might be expected from a record this big with a rolodex this wide-ranging, Major Key is an absolutely mixed bag.

"[1] Nolan Feeney of Entertainment Weekly said, "His bottomless stock of anthemic crowd-pleasers may not be game-changing, but few albums this year have come preloaded with this many obvious singles.

"[20] Scott Glaysher of HipHopDX said, "There are instances on this album that do prove Khaled's worth as a Hip Hop orchestrator in terms of matching high profile rappers with quality beats but unfortunately, they come too few and far between.

"[22] Kris Ex of Pitchfork said, "Like all of his albums, Major Key is a mixed bag, fitting for a maestro who traffics in a blend of chest-thumping and humility that's both as comical as it is prophetic.

"[23] Steve "Flash" Juon of RapReviews.com said, "If you're not expecting an hour of profound wisdom from start to finish this is an ideal late summer mixtape to ride around to.