Diplo

For other uses, see Diplo (disambiguation).

Diplo
Diplo in 2014
Born
Thomas Wesley Pentz

(1978-11-10) November 10, 1978 (age 46)
Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S.
Other names
  • Diplodocus[1]
  • Thomas Wesley
Alma materTemple University (BS)
Occupations
  • Disc jockey
  • record producer
  • songwriter
Years active1997–present
Works
Children3
Musical career
OriginPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres
Labels
Member of
Formerly ofJack Ü
Websitediplo.com

Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978),[2] known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is a co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer; a member of the supergroup LSD, with Labrinth and Sia; a member of electronic duo Jack Ü, with producer and DJ Skrillex; and a member of Silk City, with Mark Ronson. He founded the record company Mad Decent in 2006, as well as the non-profit organization Heaps Decent the following year. His 2013 extended play (EP), Revolution, debuted at number 68 on the US Billboard 200. The EP's title track was later featured in a commercial for Hyundai and is featured on the WWE 2K16 soundtrack.

Diplo worked with and dated British musician M.I.A.; Diplo produced her 2008 breakout single "Paper Planes," which gave him initial mainstream exposure. In 2011, he and fellow producer Switch formed the electronic musical group Major Lazer and its namesake cartoon series for FXX,[3] which ran for one season. The group released five studio albums which explored EDM and dancehall music. Since then, Diplo has produced for and collaborated with a number of mainstream musical acts, including Lil Peep, Gwen Stefani, Die Antwoord, Britney Spears, Madonna, Shakira, Beyoncé, Ellie Goulding, No Doubt, Justin Bieber, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Trippie Redd, Chris Brown, CL, G-Dragon, Bad Bunny, Kali Uchis, Joji, MØ and Poppy.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10] His alias, short for Diplodocus, derives from his childhood fascination with dinosaurs.[11]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference bostonphoenix1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cordor, Cyril. "Diplo Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
  3. ^ Gordon, Jeremy (August 22, 2014). "Major Lazer Cartoon Coming to Fox, Featuring Music From Cat Power and RiFF RAFF". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  4. ^ "Diplo: Interview". Time Out. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  5. ^ Diplo: The Stylus Interview Archived August 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Stylus Magazine. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
  6. ^ Interviews: Diplo Archived March 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Pitchfork (April 3, 2005). Retrieved October 23, 2010.
  7. ^ Breihan, Tom (July 11, 2006). "The Friends of Diplo: A Report Card". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on July 21, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  8. ^ Dan DeLuca, "Musical Diplo-mat", The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 19, 2006, Pg C01
  9. ^ Lavin, Will (August 7, 2020). "Diplo joins Joji on hazy new summer anthem 'Daylight'". NME. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  10. ^ Diplo (November 15, 2019). Lil Peep - RATCHETS with Lil Tracy & Diplo (Official Audio). Retrieved August 9, 2024 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ "Diplo Bio, Music, News & Shows". DJZ.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.