Major Lazer/Dragonette/Gent & Jawns

As a producer, Diplo has worked with big-profile artists like Beyonce, Kid Cudi, Snoop Dogg and Usher; as a businessman, he founded the successful Mad Decent Recordings. He also has his own radio program “Diplo and Friends” on BBC Radio 1. And as if that weren’t enough, he’s also the man behind Major Lazer, a music project co-founded with House DJ/producer Switch, though Switch is now out of the picture, and Diplo has recently included DJ/producers Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. Major Lazer is Diplo’s outlet for producing reggae, dancehall and moombahton-style music, but bits of his hip-hop style tend to peek out in his productions here and there. With Major Lazer, he’s worked with No Doubt and Snoop Dogg’s reggae project Snoop Lion. He’s also remixed songs by the Beastie Boys, Bruno Mars and The Prodigy. Major Lazer is also preparing to release a second album this year; it’ll feature guests such as Bruno Mars, Tyga, Flux Pavilion and even Shaggy. It’s safe to say that Major Lazer is yet another successful Diplo project, but it also begs the question: does this guy ever sleep? (Sam Mendez)