Thomas Wesley Pentz, better known as Diplo, is one of the most dynamic forces in music today. The Grammy-winning artist is as much an international brand as he is a musician/DJ/producer. Year after year, he’s proven himself to be a ubiquitous cultural figure, consistently bridging high and low, mainstream and underground, with remarkable tact and reverence. Major Lazer’s latest release, an EP entitled Know No Better, surprised-dropped this summer with features from Quavo, Travis Scott, Camila Cabello, Sean Paul, Anitta, Pabllo Vittar, Machel Montano, Jidenna and more. In addition, The group’s new documentary Give Me Future, filmed at their 400,000 person Havana, Cuba show in march 2016, debuted at this year’s Sundance to rave reviews and is out now via Apple Music and iTunes. The film was accompanied by Major Lazer Presents: Give Me Future—Music From and Inspired by the Film, an album companion featuring new tracks from Major Lazer and Diplo; music from Cuban artists featured in the film; a contribution from rising star of Cuban and Jamaican descent Herizen Guardiola; and “Gold,” a collaboration between American DJ/producer Valentino Khan and Jamaican legend Sean Paul—all celebrating the cross-cultural collaboration which is Major Lazer’s ethos. In 2016, Major Lazer’s “Cold Water” featuring Justin Bieber and MØ debuted at #1 on the iTunes songs chart in 58 countries worldwide and reached #1 on the U.S. pop radio chart. The song continues to top charts worldwide, with more than 861 million streams to date. Diplo also contributed two songs, “Hold Up” and “All Night,” to Beyoncé’s #1 album Lemonade. Major Lazer’s 2015 collaboration with DJ Snake, “Lean On” featuring MØ, became one of the most successful songs of all time after peaking at #1 on the Top 40 chart and being certified platinum by the RIAA. “Lean On” became the most streamed song on Spotify with more than 850 million streams, and Major Lazer was the most Shazamed artist of 2015 with over 40 million tags. Only nine months after its release, the corresponding music video for “Lean On” became one of only a handful of videos to reach 1 billion views on YouTube, and is in the Top 10 most watched videos of all time. Diplo’s rise to fame began in 2004. After throwing influential parties in South Philadelphia, Pentz cemented himself as a full-fledged artist through his debut album, Florida. Receiving praise within the underground community, Florida caught the attention of XL Recording’s newest act at the time, M.I.A., who partnered with Pentz to release the mixtape Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1. Diplo continued to work with M.I.A. on her first and second albums, eventually creating the Grammy-nominated track “Paper Planes” in 2007, which hit #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart and has sold more than three million copies. In 2005, Diplo founded label/culture lab Mad Decent to serve as a showcasing platform for the myriad fascinating sounds Pentz encounters while touring the world. The early release of Brazilian group Bonde do Role remains a testament to Diplo’s aspirations, as their music helped define Baile Funk in the United States. Mad Decent has gone on to release music from a dynamic range of artists that include Santigold, Omar Souleyman, Gucci Mane and more. Coming full circle from his days of Hollertronix, Diplo has utilized the label to produce the annual and infamous Mad Decent Block Parties—a series of outdoor dance parties/concerts that now span 22 cities across North America. Diplo founded his global dancehall-influenced project Major Lazer in 2008 to great critical acclaim. Originally a collaboration with fellow DJ and producer Switch, the project currently consists of Diplo along with Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. The group released their debut Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do in 2009, followed by 2013’s Free the Universe. 2015’s Peace is the Mission topped the Billboard charts for #1 Dance/Electronic Album and debuted at #12 on the Billboard 200, marking Major Lazer’s highest chart debut to date. 2015 also saw the launch of Major Lazer’s Beats 1 radio show “Lazer Sound” and the continued success of Diplo’s BBC radio show “Diplo and Friends.” Diplo continues to tour the world over, playing 300 shows a year with Major Lazer and under his own moniker, including headlining Mad Decent Block Parties nationwide and his Vegas residency at Steve Wynn’s XS. A jack of all trades and true cultural powerhouse, Diplo has also contributed to Vanity Fair, modeled for the campaign of fashion designer Alexander Wang and released the coffee table book 128 Beats Per Minute and the documentary film, Favela On Blast. As one of pop’s most in-demand producers, Diplo has worked with artists such as Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Madonna, Lil Wayne, Bruno Mars, Britney Spears, Wale, Chris Brown, Ariana Grande, 2 Chainz, Travis Porter, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Azealia Banks, Iggy Azalea, Die Antwoord, Robyn, AlunaGeorge and many more.