Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), better known by his stage name Diplo, is an American DJ, record producer, rapper and songwriter 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 U. He founded and manages record company Mad Decent, as well as co-founding the non-profit organization Heads Decent. Among other jobs, he has worked as a school teacher in Philadelphia.

Diplo's first collaborative full-length record was with Switch, this time under the guise of Major Lazer. Diplo (Philadelphia-based DJ and producer Wesley Pentz), incorporates such disparate influences as Miami Bass and Baile Funk into the high-tech eclecticism of his productions. 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. 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. 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." The track "Pon De Floor" from Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do was sampled for Beyonce's single "Run the World (Girls)".  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 DJs 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. On February 8, 2015, during the Grammy Award ceremony, Diplo revealed details of the third Major Lazer album. He confirmed that the album would incorporate artists such as Ariana Grande, Ellie Goulding and Pusha T. It is called Peace Is the Mission. The first single, "Lean On", is a collaboration with French producer DJ Snake and features vocals from Danish recording artist MO. The second single, "Powerful", featuring Ellie Goulding and Tarrus Riley, was released simultaneously with the album on June 1, 2015. On November 11, 2015, "Lean On" became Spotify's Most Streamed Song of All Time with over 800 million streams to date. Along with the streaming title, the official video for "Lean On" became one of the most viewed videos on YouTube. It currently has more than 2 billion views. Along with the streaming and viewing milestones, "Lean On" would also go on to achieve double platinum status.  On July 22, 2016, the group released the single "Cold Water", a collaboration with Canadian artist Justin Bieber and Danish singer MO. The track has already reached over 200 million streams on Spotify, and achieved international commercial success, reaching number one in multiple countries. Their upcoming album, Music is the Weapon, is set to be released in 2016 with collaborations including Sia, The Weeknd and Ty Dolla Sign. On November 29, 2016, Major Lazer and Bad Royale released "My Number", a track that samples "54-46 That's My Number" which Pitchfork describes as, "a genre-defining classic from legendary ska/reggae group Toots and the Maytals." This release contained newly recorded vocals from frontman Toots Hibbert specifically designed for Major Lazer, which changed the original lyrics to incorporate the group into the song while keeping the original melody.

was the record successful?