Thomas Wesley Pentz, known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer based in Los Angeles. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with Sia and Labrinth, a member of electronic duo Jack Ü with producer and DJ Skrillex, and a member of Silk City with Mark Ronson. He founded and manages record company Mad Decent, as well as co-founding the non-profit organization Heaps Decent. His 2013 EP, Revolution, debuted at number 68 on the US Billboard 200. The EP's title track was later featured in a commercial for Hyundai and is featured on the WWE 2K16 soundtrack.
Piracy Funds Terrorism Volume 1, usually referred to simply as Piracy Funds Terrorism, is a mixtape produced by British-Sri Lankan recording artist M.I.A. and American DJ Diplo featuring vocal tracks intended for M.I.A.'s debut album Arular mashed up with samples of other recordings. The mixtape was produced by the two artists at Diplo's home studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was not officially released, but was distributed at M.I.A.'s live shows and via the internet to promote the release of her much-delayed debut album. Despite its unofficial status, the mixtape received general acclaim among critics. Several music publications included the mixtape in their listings of the best albums of 2004.
"Bucky Done Gun" is the third single from musician M.I.A.'s album Arular. The song was composed in London in 2004 as one of the last compositions for her debut album and credited to Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, Carol Conners, Bill Conti, Wesley "Diplo" Pentz, Ayn Robbins and Deize Tigrona, It was released by XL Recordings in the UK, Interscope Records in the US and Remote Control Records in Australia on 11 July 2005 in 12-inch vinyl and CD single formats. The B-side of the release is the song "Pull Up the People" from Arular. Upon release, the song reached number 88 on the UK Singles Chart.
Santi White, known professionally as Santigold, is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut studio album, Santogold (2008), received critical acclaim. Her second album, Master of My Make-Believe, was released in 2012. She released her third album, 99¢, in 2016, and her second mixtape, I Don't Want: The Gold Fire Sessions, in 2018.
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, known by her stage name M.I.A., is a British rapper, singer, record producer and activist. Her songs contain evocative political and social commentary regarding immigration, warfare and identity in a globalised world. Her music combines elements of alternative, dance, electronic, hip hop and world music with eclectic instruments and samples.
Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. It originates from Kingston, Jamaica, and was founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after three years in 2011. He was then replaced by both Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. In June 2019, Jillionaire left the group and was replaced by Ape Drums. Its music spans numerous genres, mixing reggae with dancehall, reggaeton, soca, house and moombahton.
Maya is the third studio album by British rapper M.I.A., released on 7 July 2010 on her own label, N.E.E.T. Recordings, through XL Recordings and Interscope Records. Songwriting and production for the album were primarily handled by M.I.A., Blaqstarr and Rusko. M.I.A.'s long-time associates Diplo, Switch and her brother Sugu Arulpragasam also worked on the album, which was mainly composed and recorded at M.I.A.'s house in Los Angeles. The album's tracks centre on the theme of information politics and are intended to evoke what M.I.A. called a "digital ruckus"; with the album, elements of industrial music were incorporated into M.I.A.'s sound for the first time. A deluxe edition was released simultaneously, featuring four bonus tracks.
Body Talk Pt. 2 is the sixth studio album by Swedish singer Robyn, released on 6 September 2010 by Konichiwa Records. The album is the second part of the Body Talk trilogy, which consists of three mini-albums, all released during 2010. Robyn started working on songs for the album when Body Talk Pt. 1 (2010) was still in development, and she collaborated with Klas Åhlund, Kleerup, Savage Skulls, Diplo and Snoop Dogg. Musically, the songs on Body Talk Pt. 2 are upbeat and a mixture between electro, house, hip hop and disco.
"Teqkilla" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. from her third studio album, Maya (2010). The track was written by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, Rusko, Switch, John Hill and Cherry Byron-Withers. Production of the song was handled by M.I.A., Rusko, Switch and Hill.
"It Takes a Muscle to Fall in Love" is the debut single by Dutch electronic band Spectral Display, released as a single in 1982 from their eponymous debut album. It was written by members Michel Mulders and Henri Overduin, and produced by Mulders.
Vicki Leekx is a mixtape by British recording artist M.I.A. which was released on 31 December 2010. Following the release of her album Maya earlier in 2010, the artist announced via Twitter that she would be releasing a mixtape on the last day of the year, and subsequently made it available free to download. It incorporates reworked versions of tracks from Maya and new material and was reported as having been inspired by the 2010 WikiLeaks controversy, although much of its content is not politically inspired.
"Look at Me Now" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown, featuring fellow American rappers Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne, released as the second single from Brown's fourth studio album F.A.M.E. on February 1, 2011. The artists co-wrote the song with its producers Afrojack, Diplo, and Free School, with additional writing from Ryan Buendia. Musically, "Look at Me Now" is a "dirty south–inspired" hip hop song that features "thumping bass, spacy synth and horn jam sounds."
Matangi is the fourth studio album by British recording artist M.I.A. It was released on 1 November 2013 on her own label, N.E.E.T. Recordings, through Interscope Records.
"Bitch I'm Madonna" is a song by American singer Madonna from her thirteenth studio album, Rebel Heart (2015), featuring guest vocals from rapper Nicki Minaj. The artists co-wrote the song with MoZella, Toby Gad, Ariel Rechtshaid, Diplo, and Sophie. It was released as the third single from the album by Interscope Records on June 15, 2015, along with a number of remixes commissioned. Produced by Madonna and Diplo, it is an EDM song with lyrics about Madonna having continuous fun because she is Madonna.
AIM is the fifth studio album by English rapper and record producer M.I.A. It was released on 9 September 2016 by Interscope and Polydor Records in the UK.
"Y.A.L.A." is a song by recording artist M.I.A. from her fourth album Matangi, released in 2013. It was released as the fourth single from the album. The track was written by M.I.A. together with Ruben Fernhout and Jerry Leembruggen of the Dutch production team The Partysquad who also produced the track.
"Come Walk with Me" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. for her fourth studio album, Matangi (2013). The track was written by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam and Switch, and produced by the latter. The singer first uploaded demo of the track online in April 2012, and the final version of the song was self-released worldwide as a digital download, under exclusive license to Interscope Records, on 3 September 2013. The song served as the third single from the album, and was performed the on The Colbert Report, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the 2013 YouTube Music Awards, and during the Matangi Tour. "Come Walk with Me" was met with universal acclaim from music critics.
"Steppin Up" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. from her third studio album, Maya (2010). The track was written by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, Rusko and Switch, and produced by Rusko. The song was self-released worldwide as a digital download, under license to XL Recordings and N.E.E.T. Recordings, on 16 June 2010, as the third single from the album. A different version of the song later appeared on the Vicki Leekx mixtape under a slightly altered title. The song was performed during the Maya Tour in 2010 and 2011. No music video has been made for the single. The track received mixed to positive reviews from music critics.
"Bird Song" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. from her fifth studio album, AIM (2016). It served as the fourth single from the album. M.I.A. announced the release of the single on 1 August 2016, and that the producers include Diplo and Blaqstarr. The song was written by M.I.A. and Blaqstarr, and was the first collaboration between Diplo and M.I.A. since her 2010 album Maya. The Blaqstarr version was officially released on 12 August 2016 while the release of the Diplo version was delayed due to clearance problems with Interscope, and eventually premiered on 18 August.
"Space" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. from her third studio album, Maya (2010). The track was written and produced by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam and Christopher "Rusko" Mercer. The song was released on 12 January 2010 as a music video only, and has been known under alternative titles "There's Space for Ol Dat I See" and "Space Odyssey". The track was a protest to an article by The New York Times calling Sri Lanka the number one vacation destination of 2010, which M.I.A. found questionable and inaccurate towards the country's Civil War. Although "Space" was the first song that M.I.A. teased from the forthcoming album, it was never released as an official single. The track did, however, chart upon the release of Maya.
