The name Diplo may not immediately ring a bell to the average music lover, but the disc jockey is behind the beats of some of your favorite songs. The record producer has produced the songs of many big music stars from Beyonce to Justin Bieber, Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Britney Spears, and most notably M.I.A who is credited with bringing him to the spotlight.
Diplo is the lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer. He is also part of the electronic duo Jack Ü alongside fellow DJ, Skrillex. With Sia and Labrinth, Diplo belongs to the supergroup, LSD. He produces under his label, Mad Decent. Here is all you need to know about the two-time Grammy Award winner.
Who Is Diplo? (Age)
On the 10th of November 1978, the DJ was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, to Barbara Jean (née Cox) and Thomas Pentz. He was named Thomas Wesley Pentz Jr, however, he’d come to choose Diplo as his stage name as a result of his fascination with dinosaurs which belong to the genre, Diplodocus. Pentz has German and English roots.
As a young boy living in Miami, Diplo began DJing. He attended the University of Central Florida and later, Temple University in Philadelphia where he began making a name for himself as a DJ. He soon teamed up with DJ Low Budget and they began DJing together under the moniker, Hooked on Hollertronix.
Performing at parties, the two quickly grew in popularity and soon released mixtapes one of which attracted the attention of The New York Times who rated it as one of the best 10 albums of 2003. Diplo soon attracted the attention of artists from varying genres and set up a studio, The Mausoleum in Philadelphia. Working with M.I.A in 2004 really did help Diplo gain wider recognition as their track “Paper Planes” which reached #4 on the Hot 100 earned a Grammy nomination.
In 2006, he founded the record label Mad Decent in Los Angeles and has managed to remain relevant over the years.
Net Worth
Diplo is one of the richest disc jockeys in the world. Since Forbes began following the wealth of the world’s big DJs, he has made the list a handful of times. In 2016, he earned $23 million, making him the 6th highest paid DJ in the world. He maintained the spot in 2017 when he raked in a higher $28.5 million.
Diplo makes a huge chunk of his wealth from touring, however, he has been able to diversify his sources in recent years. The DJ invests in Matchabar and earns from a handful of endorsement partners including Barcadi. He has also shifted his focus to the TV industry and is the producer of “What Would Diplo Do?” a Viceland TV series. Forbes put his 2018 earnings at $20 million, making him the 7th richest for the year. Diplo’s net worth is estimated at $26 million.
Baby Mama, Wife, Son
Thomas Pentz has been privileged enough to romance some of the biggest music stars but none of them has he wifed. However, one lady who is often thought of as Diplo’s wife is his ex-girlfriend and baby mama Kathryn Lockhart. The two were in an on-and-off relationship for years and were even labeled a consciously uncoupled pair.
They began their relationship in 2009 about a year after Diplo broke things off with MIA. They would go on to date on and off until finally calling it quits in 2014. At the time they began dating in 2009, Kathryn Lockhart worked as a bartender.
About a year into her relationship, in 2010, she gave birth to their first son, Lockett. Diplo would later reveal to the media that it was not their intention to make a baby but when he found out that she was pregnant, he could not wish for a better person to make babies with. After Lockett arrived, Lockhart quit her job to become a full-time mom, the couple moved in together but their relationship didn’t last beyond 2014.
Around the time when Diplo was flirting with pop singer Katy Perry, word got out that Lockhart was pregnant with what would become Diplo’s second son. Lockhart gave birth to Lazer Lee Louis Pentz in 2014. Diplo would go on to date Perry briefly. Lockhart now has a business planning kiddies parties. The DJ brought the boys as his date to the 2017 Grammy Awards and they did put on a show.
Height
Diplo stands at a height of 5 feet 10 inches which is about 1.8 m. He weighs about 190 pounds. The DJ is known for his distinctive light brown hair and blue eyes.
