Last Updated on September 13, 2024
Thomas Wesley Pentz, known professionally as Diplo, is an American disk jockey (DJ), music producer, singer, and songwriter.
Diplo is widely considered as America’s most popular DJ and one of the country’s most accomplished music producers. He’s best known for being the co-creator of the dancehall music project Major Lazer and a lead member of the supergroup LSD. The latter group also includes musicians Sia and Labrinth.
Besides Major Lazer and LSD, Diplo is also a member of Jack Ü and Silk City. The former is a joint venture with music producer and DJ Skrillex while the latter is a partnership with British DJ Mark Ronson.
Diplo is also credited with being the founder and manager of the music record company Mad Decent. His other major achievement includes co-founding the non-profit organization Heaps Decent.
As a singer, Diplo has released four studio albums. His debut album – Florida – was released in 2004 while his most recent album – Diplo – was released in 2022.
Outside the music industry, Diplo has also made several film and television appearances. He made his film debut as himself in the 2008 small-time movie ‘Favela on Blast.’ His cinematic credits include both acting and production.
Quick Facts
| Full Name: | Thomas Wesley Pentz |
| Popular Name: | Diplo |
| Gender: | Male |
| Birth Date: | November 10, 1978 |
| Age: | 44 years |
| Parents: | Thomas Pentz and Barbara Jean-Pentz |
| Siblings: | Unknown |
| Birth Place: | Tupelo, Mississippi, United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Ethnicity: | Mixed (German and English) |
| Education: | Mainland High School, Hendersonville High School, The University of Central Florida (UCF), and Temple University |
| Marital Status: | Unmarried but has maintained a long list of high-profile girlfriends, including rapper M.I.A. and singer Katy Perry |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Wife/Spouse: | N/A |
| Children: | Lockett Pentz and Lazer Pentz (with Kathryn Lockhart) and Pace Pentz (with Jevon King) |
| Dating: | N/A |
| Net Worth: | USD 55 million |
| Source of Wealth: | Disk-jockeying, Music Production, Singing, Songwriting, Touring, and Other Ventures |
| Height: | 5′ 10″ (1.78 m) |
| Weight: | 86 kg; In pounds: 190 lbs. |
Early Life and Career Information
Early Life
Thomas Wesley Pentz was born on November 10, 1978, in Tupelo, Mississippi, United States, to Thomas Pentz and Barbara Jean-Pentz.
As a child, Pentz had an overwhelming obsession with dinosaurs. That explains why he settled on the stage name “Diplo,” which is essentially the short form for “Diplodocus.”
Diplo attended Mainland High School before graduating from Hendersonville High School based out of Hendersonville, Tennessee. He then moved to Florida and enrolled at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in 1997.
After a few months of study at the UCF, Diplo moved to Philadelphia to further his college education at Temple University. He eventually earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Temple University.
Music Career
Diplo began working as a DJ at a local radio station ‘WPRK’ while attending the University of Central Florida. He also rendered his DJ services at the radio station based at Rollins College.
Diplo then gained initial fame while attending Temple University after a chance encounter with fellow DJ Low Budget. The duo formed the group ‘Hooked on Hollertronix,’ under which they threw local parties as a way of giving exposure to their disk-jockeying skills. Diplo and Low Budget released their first joint and independent mixtapes during this period. The two aspiring DJs became well-known throughout the local scene and even nationally.
Banking on the success of ‘Hooked on Hollertronix,’ Diplo was able to release his debut studio album in 2004. The album, titled ‘Florida,’ was released through Big Nada Records.
As part of growing his brand further, Diplo built his own music studio which he called ‘The Mausoleum.’ The studio garnered instant fame and has since hosted renowned artists like Shakira, Santigold, and Boys Noize.
Diplo first shot into the international limelight after collaborating with M.IA. The collaboration spawned the popular mixtape ‘Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1.’ He went on to collaborate with many more artists, including Bruno Mars, Die Antwoord, and Kid Cudi, to mention but a few.
It’s during this period that Diplo established his record label Mad Decent. Through the label, he was able to produce songs for established artists like Justin Bieber, Usher, Lil Wayne, Britney Spears, and Travis Porter.
In 2011, Diplo teamed up with Swith to co-create the dancehall music project Major Lazer. The group released several music projects, including a full-length record titled “Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do” and the 2016 smashing single “Cold Water.”
In 2013, Diplo partnered with Skrillex to create the Jack Ü duo. The group released its debut album “Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü.” The album spawned a number of successful hits, including “Where Are Ü Now” and “Take Ü There”.
Diplo’s next major collaboration was with Sia and Labrinth in forming the group LSD. The group released its debut studio album in 2019, titled “Labrinth, Sia & Diplo Present… LSD.”
Diplo founded yet another music group called Silk City with British DJ Mark Ronson. Silk City has since released several successful tracks, including “Electricity” which won a Grammy award.
In 2020, Diplo released his second studio album, titled Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley, Chapter 1: Snake Oil. He has since followed up with two more albums, namely MMXX (2020) and Diplo (2022).
Other Ventures
Diplo has appeared in a number of films and television shows during his career. Noteworthy ones include the movies Detective Pikachu (2019) and The High Note (2020) and the television shows Ridiculousness (2016) and The Price Is Right (2020).
Diplo’s Net Worth
Diplo is not only one of the greatest DJs on the planet. He’s also one of the richest. As at 2023, the accomplished disk jockey had a net worth of $55 million.
Diplo has earned nearly all his money from the music industry. Numerous publications have consistently placed him among the world’s highest-earning DJs. He rakes in an average of $20 million from his various musical endeavors. These include disk jockeying, music production, record and album sales, songwriting, and touring.
According to various reports, touring accounts for the biggest chunk of Diplo’s music-related earnings.
But Diplo’s wealth doesn’t only come from the music industry. The DJ has also involved himself in many other ventures, such as acting and television appearances. These endeavors inevitably add to his net worth.
Lessons from Diplo
1. Be open to collaborations
Diplo appreciates the significance of partnerships. His entire music career has been punctuated with one collaboration after another.
2. Work with the best
Not only has Diplo partnered with other artists to grow his own brand. He has insisted on working with the very best.
3. Confidence comes first
Diplo owes his success in the music industry partly to his sheer confidence and willingness to step into unfamiliar territories.
Famous Quotes by Diplo
• America’s definitely a trendsetter, and it’s where a lot of information goes out to the rest of the world.
• I do think that I never got tied down to any social scene. I was just into creating stuff.
• I think kids have got to learn how to work with what’s happening, work with social, work with everything. To complain about how things aren’t the way they used to be.
• If anyone takes me seriously, then they actually must have a problem. Music is fun, it’s not algebra.
• It’s never too late to change your luck.
Wrap Up
Diplo is an American disk jockey, musician, and record producer widely considered one of the world’s wealthiest and most talented DJs. The Mississippi-born DJ has a net worth of $55 million.
