Diplo

For the Puerto Rican comedian, see Ramón Rivero.
Diplo

Diplo
Background information
Birth name Thomas Wesley Pentz
Born (1978-11-10) November 10, 1978
Origin Tupelo, Mississippi, United States[1]
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • DJ
  • record producer
  • rapper
  • songwriter
Years active 1997–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website diplo.com

Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978),[2] better known by his stage name Diplo, is an American DJ, record producer, rapper and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. He founded and manages record company Mad Decent, as well as co-founding the non-profit organization Heaps Decent. Among other jobs, he has worked as a school teacher in Philadelphia. He is also the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project, Major Lazer. His 2013 EP Revolution debuted at number 68 on the US Billboard 200. The song was later featured in a commercial for Hyundai and is featured on the WWE 2K16 soundtrack.

During his rise to fame, Diplo worked with British musician M.I.A., an artist who is credited with giving him exposure in his early career. Later, he and fellow M.I.A. producer Switch created a Jamaican dancehall project and cartoon series titled Major Lazer.[3] Since then, Diplo has worked on production and mixtape projects with many other pop artists, such as Gwen Stefani, M.I.A., Die Antwoord, Britney Spears, Madonna, Shakira, Beyoncé, No Doubt, Justin Bieber, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, CL and G-Dragon.[4][5][6][7][8] His alias, short for Diplodocus, derives from his childhood fascination with dinosaurs.[9] He is the co-producer of several tracks on Madonna's thirteenth studio album Rebel Heart (2015) and he collaborated with fellow EDM producer and DJ Skrillex to create the duo Jack Ü.

As an artist, Diplo, combined with his other collaborations Major Lazer and Jack Ü, had the most number of Shazams in 2015.[10]

Career

Early life

Diplo was born on November 10, 1978 in Tupelo, Mississippi, the son of Barbara Jean (née Cox) and Thomas Pentz. He is of German and English descent.[11][12][13] The influence of home-grown rap played a key role in helping shape his production style. He spent the majority of his youth in Miami, where he got a taste for the characteristic Miami bass.[14][15][16] He began attending the University of Central Florida in 1997, and then moved to Philadelphia to continue his studies at Temple University, where he first garnered attention as a DJ.[17] After frequently running into fellow DJ Low Budget, the two began throwing parties under the Hooked on Hollertronix moniker in 2003 as a way of maintaining control of what they were able to play during DJ gigs in Philadelphia.[5] The success of these parties allowed the two to release mixtapes, both separate and together, gathering acclaim across the country.[18] One such mixtape, Never Scared, was named one of the New York Times top ten albums of 2003,[19] and the Hollertronix name became synonymous with parties featuring guests like Maluca Mala, Bun B, Spank Rock, M.I.A., among others.[20] Hollertronix's sound has been described as "disparate genres to be smashed together for maximum attention-grabbing impact" an aesthetic which takes from the "organic, cohesive, whole" aesthetic of acts such as Bun B, Lil Jon, Drama, M.I.A., Björk, Busta Rhymes, and others.[7][21]

Diplo accentuated the club aesthetic of his Hollertronix music for a more reflective sound on his solo debut, Florida, which was released on the Ninja Tune imprint, Big Dada Records.[22] The album Florida was pressed twice, first with a CD and the second with a CD and DVD. The DVD was created by System D-128, another artist who has collaborated with Diplo on some audio and video projects. Before Florida’s DVD accompaniment, another DVD surfaced called Diplo: "Banned in Libya" which was released by Money Studies, the first label to release a solo project by Diplo under his original DJ name Diplodocus. It was a 45 rpm record called "Thingamajawn" for which there is also a music video System D-128 directed. Similar to the Florida DVD, "Banned in Libya" is an experimental audio and video mix of some of Diplo's original music blended with a number of other unidentified sources. His particular affinity for one genre of music called baile funk, or favela funk, would spawn a series of mixtapes (Favela on Blast, Favela Strikes Back), which served to bring the Brazilian dance music of the ghettos to the United States.[18]

It was not long before his Hooked on Hollertronix parties would provide him the success necessary to move to the next logical step and build a studio where music would become his full-time focus. With this goal in mind, Diplo built "The Mausoleum," a video studio, recording studio, record label office, gallery, and event space in Philadelphia.[23] Since its inception, The Mausoleum has become the home to recordings by artists like Christina Aguilera, Shakira, M.I.A., Santigold, Spank Rock, Plastic Little, Blaqstarr, Paper Route Gangstaz, and hosted concerts by Glass Candy, Skream, Boys Noize, Nicos Gun, and more.[23]

M.I.A.

After hearing one of his songs in 2004, M.I.A. approached Diplo when he was DJing one night at the Fabric Club in London.[24] Coincidentally, Diplo was playing her songs "Galang" and "Fire Fire" as she entered the club, which he got from a worker at i-D magazine.[24][25] Diplo added, "She came through and she wanted to meet me 'cause she'd heard my single and the funk mix from one of her A&Rs and she just thought I was right up her alley. Besides me being a white dude from Florida and her being a Sri Lankan girl in England, everything else was the same: [We were both] film graduates, [listened to] all the same music when we were kids, were going in the same direction right now in music, it was amazing... I always wanted to make a beat with her, but all my beats were really shitty at the time."[25][26] The two eventually collaborated on a mixtape, Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1., where Arular track acapellas were mashed with other artists' songs and was mentioned as 'Albums of the Year' from the New York Times and Pitchfork Media.[25][27] The two became romantically involved for five years[28] and continued to work together after the release and he toured as a DJ on her 2005 Arular Tour.

Diplo would continue to work with M.I.A. and, through her, meet London DJ Switch; together they created the Grammy nominated track "Paper Planes", peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[29] In 2015, during an interview with Rolling Stone, M.I.A said that Diplo resented her rise to fame in 2005, that he tried to hold her back, and fought with her about becoming successful.[30]

Mad Decent

Main article: Mad Decent

From this, Diplo went from an unknown DJ to taking off as a producer, landing him collaborations with artists like Shakira, Robyn, Kid Cudi, Bruno Mars, No Doubt and Snoop Dogg, as well as work with Maluca, Kid Sister, Die Antwoord, Alex Clare, Rolo Tomassi, Amanda Blank and Dark Meat. After taking a trip to Brazil to investigate the favela music scene,[5] and fascinated with the energy the scene had to offer, Diplo decided to import a dance-funk group Bonde do Rolê from Brazil for release on his Mad Decent record label (also housed within 'The Mausoleum').[31] This group would serve to define funk carioca in the United States, spawning a host of others to join the movement. Diplo also spent some time documenting the music, and the favelas of Brazil[32]

Although favela funk remained an interest (the Favela on Blast documentary just saw release in 2009), his Mad Decent imprint would serve as a blank palette for Diplo to showcase the myriad different sounds he had come across while touring around the world.[17] September 2009 even saw Diplo travel to China to play with Steve Aoki at a show organised by promoters Split Works.[33] Diplo quickly developed a reputation for his extensive touring. In the April 2010 issue of Rolling Stone, Diplo was touted as one of '40 Reasons to be Excited About Music'.[34] This kind of jet setting pushed his label far beyond the favela funk genre with which it initially began. Since its foundation in 2005[35] Diplo's Mad Decent label has released music by Santigold, Baauer, Lil' Jon, Gucci Mane, Peter Bjorn and John, Rusko, Bosco Delrey, Buraka Som Sistema, Savage Skulls, Oliver Twizt, Jamie Fanatic, Douster, Boy 8-Bit, and Popo.[36][37]

Major Lazer

Main article: Major Lazer
Diplo performing live

Diplo's first collaborative full-length record was with Switch, this time under the guise Major Lazer. After landing a deal with Downtown Records before even recording a note of music, Diplo and Switch set out for Jamaica to record a project that, like most of Diplo's projects before it, would highlight the little-known subgenres, this time of Jamaica's dancehall scene.[29] The two received support by many already established Jamaican artists such as Vybz Kartel, Elephant Man and Ms. Thing, and the resulting record Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do also featured vocals from Santigold, Amanda Blank, Nina Sky, Ricky Blaze and more.[38] When discussing the Major Lazer project, Diplo described the dancehall sound as being " the end of the world, all the little influences—house, soca, oldies, R&B, jazz—it all ends up in Jamaica."[39] The track "Pon De Floor" from Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do was sampled for Beyoncé's single "Run the World (Girls)".[40]

Major Lazer's first album was followed up with an EP, Lazers Never Die, which was released in 2010. Switch left Major Lazer in 2011, and was replaced by Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. A second album, Free the Universe, was scheduled to be released in November 2012 but was delayed to February 2013, and then to April 15. It features artists such as Ezra Koenig, Bruno Mars, Ward 21, Wyclef, The Partysquad, Shaggy, Tyga, Flux Pavilion and Wynter Gordon.[41] Their third album, Peace Is the Mission, was released on June 1, 2015. It features collaborations with Ariana Grande, MØ, Ellie Goulding, 2 Chainz and more. Their upcoming album, Music is the Weapon is set to be released in 2016 with collaborations including Sia, The Weeknd and Ty Dolla $ign.

Jack Ü

Main article: Jack Ü

Jack Ü is a duo made up of Skrillex and Diplo. Jack Ü's debut performance took place at the Mad Decent Block Party in San Diego on September 15, 2013, which is a nationwide tour that record label Mad Decent puts together in order to showcase different artists signed to the label.[42] Diplo announced the project by releasing the Mad Decent Block Party lineup with Jack Ü playing at multiple stops on the tour. After some guessing by many of who Jack Ü was, Diplo finally came out to reveal that "Jack Ü ... means Skrillex and Diplo together".[42] On February 27, 2015 they released Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack U, a co-release between their respective labels OWSLA and Mad Decent. It featured tracks with 2 Chainz, Kiesza, Justin Bieber, AlunaGeorge and Missy Elliott. On March 29, 2015 Jack Ü closed main stage at Ultra Music Festival in Miami.

In 2016, Jack U won two Grammy awards for "Best Dance Album" for "Skrillex and Diplo present Jack U" and "Best Dance Track" for "Where Are U Now?" with Justin Bieber.

Additional work

Beyond Major Lazer and Mad Decent, Diplo has continued to show support for 'all the little influences', the lesser-known music scenes around the globe. Most recently his focus shifted to the ‘Bounce’ scene in New Orleans, Louisiana for a television piece commissioned by Current.tv.[43] Diplo was nominated for Non-Classical Producer of the Year at the 55th Grammy Awards.[44] As of 2014 Diplo has a late night show on BBC Radio 1 / 1Xtra on Sundays 0400 – 0600 called 'Diplo and Friends' where he curates mixes from some of biggest names in dance music.[45] Diplo also has several syndicated Diplo and Friends shows in the United States in Boston, Bakersfield, Cleveland, Columbus, Las Vegas, Spokane, Albuquerque, Lafayette, Denver, and most notably on Los Angeles' 98.7 every Sunday at 9pm.[46]

Personal life

Diplo dated British-Sri Lankan singer and rapper M.I.A. from 2003 to 2008.[47] He has two sons with Kathryn Lockhart: Lockett Pentz (2010) and Lazer Lee Louis Pentz (2014).[48]

Diplo is an avid soccer fan and supporter of the US National Teams.[49] He also supports AS Roma and has attended to Tigres UANL matches.[50][51] He created a Mix for the 2014 World Cup.[52] Diplo purchased a minority share of Arizona United SC of the United Soccer League on January 27, 2016.[53][54] He stated: "I’ve been really fortunate to travel all over the world and experience different cultures through music. Wherever I am, Jamaica, Spain, England, China, etc., soccer is a social constant. I see soccer the same way I see music, as a connective tissue linking the world’s cultures."

Diplo is also an active fan of the Los Angeles Clippers, showing support via Snapchat and Instagram whenever he's at their games. He performed with Skrillex and Kai at the Staples Center during half-time at a Clippers game in 2015.

On February 24th, 2016, Diplo endorsed Bernie Sanders as the Democratic presidential nominee. Sanders' ad “It’s A Revolution” is soundtracked by Diplo’s 2013 track “Revolution.”[55]

Discography

For the discography with other projects, see Major Lazer discography and Jack Ü § Discography.

Awards and nominations

Grammy's: Diplo was nominated in 2013 and 2016 for Grammy Award – Producer of the Year, Non-Classic. In 2016 he was also nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album, Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack U.[56] In 2009 he was nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year for "Paper Planes" shared with M.I.A., Switch. Despite being Spotify's most played song ever, "Lean On", Diplo's collaboration with his trio Major Lazer, along with DJ Snake and MØ, was not nominated for a Grammy Award.[57]

Grammy Awards

Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result
2009 "Paper Planes" Record of the Year Nominated
2012 "Look at Me Now" Best Rap Song Nominated
2013 Diplo Producer of the Year, Non-Classical Nominated
2016 "Where Are Ü Now" (with Skrillex and Justin Bieber) Best Dance Recording Won
Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack U (with Skrillex) Best Dance/Electronic Album Won
Diplo Producer of the Year, Non-Classical[58] Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "Astrology: Diplo (DJ), date of birth: 1978/11/10, Horoscope, Astrological Portrait, Dominant Planets, Birth Data, Biography". astrotheme.com. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  2. ↑ Cordor, Cyril. "Diplo – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
  3. ↑ Gordon, Jeremy (22 August 2014). "Major Lazer Cartoon Coming to Fox, Featuring Music From Cat Power and RiFF RAFF". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Diplo: Interview – Time Out London. Timeout.com (January 19, 2009). Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 Diplo: The Stylus Interview – Article. Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  6. ↑ Interviews: Diplo. Pitchfork (April 3, 2005). Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  7. 1 2 Breihan, Tom (July 11, 2006). "The Friends of Diplo: A Report Card". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  8. ↑ Dan DeLuca,"Musical Diplo-mat", The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan 19, 2006, Pg C01
  9. ↑ "Diplo Bio, Music, News & Shows". DJZ.com. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Diplo is the most Shazamed artist of 2015". Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  11. ↑ "Diplo's parents are proud he's expressing himself". News-JournalOnline.com. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "BARBARA COX Obituary - Daytona Beach, FL - Daytona Beach News-Journal". Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "Gary-L-Krebs-Virginia-Beach - User Trees - Genealogy.com". genealogy.com. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  14. ↑ "Diplo Talks Miami, Bass, Strip Clubs & More w/ Nardwuar". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Diplo". Red Bull Music Academy Radio. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  16. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Diplo". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  17. 1 2 Mad Genius :: Music :: Features :: Paste. Pastemagazine.com (November 15, 2008). Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  18. 1 2 Music | Hollertronix on ice. Bostonphoenix.com. Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  19. ↑ Sanneh, Kelefa. (December 28, 2003) MUSIC – THE HIGHS – MUSIC – THE HIGHS – The Albums and Songs of the Year –Maluca Mala NYTimes.com. Select.nytimes.com. Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  20. ↑ Boyles, Jen. (November 6, 2009) Low-Bee on Hooked on Hollertronix, parties and future of DJing (interview) – Minneapolis / St. Paul Music – Gimme Noise. Blogs.citypages.com. Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  21. ↑ Diplo « Format Magazine Urban Art Fashion. Formatmag.com (September 9, 2007). Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  22. ↑ Big Dada Diplo – Florida. Ninjatune.net. Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  23. 1 2 phrequency. phrequency (November 12, 2008). Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  24. 1 2 M.I.A.: Pitchfork Interview at the Wayback Machine (archived March 17, 2005) (March 17, 2005). Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  25. 1 2 3 Pytlik, Mark (April 4, 2005). "Interview: Diplo". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved July 22, 2008.
  26. ↑ M.I.A. Confronts the Haters. Pitchfork. Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  27. ↑ Booty Call – Page 1 – Music – New York. Village Voice (December 14, 2004). Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  28. ↑ "Diplo on Dating M.I.A.: It's Hard Dating in the Industry". YouTube. 2012-11-20. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  29. 1 2 Diplo Talks Sample of the Millennium, the Return of Fun and Other Musical Secrets | Underwire. Wired.com. Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  30. ↑ "'Arular' 10 Years Later: M.I.A. Reflects on Globe-Shaking Debut". Rolling Stone. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  31. ↑ Made In South America « The FADER. Thefader.com (June 15, 2006). Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  32. ↑ Diplo Talks M.I.A.'s Ideal Sound, 'Lazers Never Die'. Billboard.com (September 14, 2009). Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  33. ↑ "Diplo + Steve Aoki in Beijing 2009_Split Works". Spli-t.com. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  34. ↑ 40 Reasons to Be Excited About Music: New Issue of Rolling Stone | Rolling Stone Music. Rollingstone.com (April 14, 2010). Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  35. ↑ Mad Decent – CDs and Vinyl at Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  36. ↑ "Releases". Mad Decent. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
  37. ↑ Diplo's Mad Decent Label Teams Up With Downtown Recordings. Pitchfork (March 31, 2009). Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  38. ↑ Mos Def – The Ecstatic. Downtownmusic.com. Retrieved on October 23, 2010.
  39. ↑ "FEATURE: Major Lazer x Mad Decent Interview « The FADER". Thefader.com. 2009-07-06. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
  40. ↑ "Beyoncé Drops Official Version Of 'Run The World (Girls)'". MTV. April 21, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  41. ↑ "Major Lazer Free The Universe Details". Stereogum. August 1, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  42. 1 2 Lancaster, Elizabeth. "Diplo And Skrillex Reveal Their Surprising New Group: Jack U". News. (accessed October 6, 2014).
  43. ↑ "Blog » Diplo’s "No One is Safe": New Orleans Bounce". Mad Decent. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
  44. ↑ Vasquez, Andres (2012-12-06). "Grammy Nominees Revealed; Frank Ocean, Drake & 2 Chainz Among Those Nominated | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  45. ↑ "BBC Radio 1Xtra - Diplo and Friends". BBC. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  46. ↑ "Diplo & Friends". ALT 98.7. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  47. ↑ "Exclusive! Diplo Opens Up About Dating M.I.A.". Vladtv.com. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  48. ↑ "Diplo Welcomes Second Son With Ex-Girlfriend". MTV News. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  49. ↑ "Diplo, HAIM and Spike Lee Reveal Nike’s U.S. Soccer Kit For 2014 FIFA World Cup". Zahra Jamshed (Hypetrak Magazine). Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  50. ↑ "Which global superstar DJ has revealed himself as an Arsenal fan on Twitter?". Rory McKeown. dailystar.co.uk. September 1, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  51. ↑ http://www.multimedios.com/deportes/futbol/tigres/diplo-visita-tigres.html
  52. ↑ "Diplo Blends Kanye West, Black Keys for World Cup Mix". Ryan Reed (Rolling Stone Magazine). June 13, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  53. ↑ "Diplo leads group in minority purchase of Arizona United". Andrew Joseph (Arizona Republic). January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  54. ↑ "Music Producer and DJ Diplo leads group investing in Arizona United Soccer Club". Arizona United SC. January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  55. ↑ "Diplo's 'Revolution' Soundtracks Bernie Sanders' Campaign Ad". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
  56. ↑ http://diplo.com/2015/12/07/diplo-nominated-for-three-grammy-awards/
  57. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/6792634/diplo-grammys-lean-on-snub-dream-skrillex-justin-bieber
  58. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grammys/6785974/grammy-nominations-2016-full-list

External links

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