Diplo
Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978),[2] better known by his stage name Diplo, is an American DJ and record producer based in Los Angeles, California. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, and along with producer and DJ Skrillex, part of the electronic duo Jack Ü. 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. His 2013 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.
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. 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, Trippie Redd, Chris Brown, CL and G-Dragon. His alias, short for Diplodocus, derives from his childhood fascination with dinosaurs. He is the co-producer of several tracks on Madonna’s thirteenth studio album Rebel Heart.
