Diplo, Dustin Lynch, Wuki, and Karley Scott Collins

Pentz grew up in Miami, Florida, US and developed an appreciation for the Miami Bass genre that would later influence much of his writing. He also incorporated the Funk carioca genre into his music, which helped bring Brazilian dance music into the US. He moved to Philadelphia in the late ‘90s and soon began to rise into prominence as a DJ. While in Philadelphia he collaborated with DJ Low Budget with whom he started the side project Hooked on Hollertronix. This collaboration resulted in the mixtape “Never Scared”, which the New York Times would call one of the top 10 albums of 2003.

In the year 2004 Diplo would release his debut album labeled “Florida” that featured a strong sense of hip hop and trip hop beats. During this time he was frequently playing music as a DJ in clubs and parties where he was starting to find success. After his name started to gain buzz around the music industry he built his own recording studio named The Mausoleum. Since then his studio has hosted a wide variety of notable artists ranging from M.I.A., Santigold, Christina Aguilera, and Plastic Little.

Diplo’s music career started to blow up into the mainstream after he met electronic/hip hop artist and former partner M.I.A. with whom he released the mixtape “Piracy Funds Terrorism”. The album would go onto receive critical acclaim from publications like Pitchfork and the New York Times who included the album on the top of the year lists. M.I.A. and Diplo also collaborated on the song “Paper Planes”, which was released on M.I.A.’s second studio album. The song was nominated for a Grammy award and reached No. 4 on the Billboard US Hot 100 chart.

Although Diplo’s catchy dance beats and the innovative approach he has taken on the EDM genre is enough to make his name reputable, his work as a producer is just as admirable in comparison. He has produced music and collaborated with some of the hottest musicians in the business including Kid Cudi, Robyn, Bruno Mars, and Snoop Dog.

Diplo has also established himself through his avid touring schedule that has sent him playing shows across the world and at large festivals. He has toured with many notable musicians such as Steve Aoki and has played many festivals like Ultra as well as the Mad Decent Music Festival that he and his record label created. When Diplo is not touring solo he might be touring with his side project Major Lazer or Jack U, his dubstep side project that he formed with Skrillex. Whatever bit of music Diplo has his hands on seems to turn out golden and there is no doubt that Diplo will consistently surprise audiences with his immense talents as Rolling Stone magazine has labeled Diplo as one of the 40 reasons to be excited about music.

Dustin Lynch moved to Nashville in 2003 in pursuit of a career in country music. He signed to Broken Bow Record in late 2011, and released his debut single “Cowboys and Angles” on January 16th 2012. It’s a mid-tempo song that gained a lot of critical acclaim, such as Billy Dukes of Taste of Country, who gave the song four out five, praising Lynch’s “sturdy voice” saying that the chorus “Showcases his natural talent”. It debuted at number 59 on the U.S Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of January 21st 2012. It climbed to number 2 in October. His self-titled debut album, released on August 21st 2012, made it to the top spot of the Country charts. Later that year, “She Cranks My Tractor”, which was released on November 19th 2012, also charted, as did the third single from Lynch’s self-titled album, “Wild in your Smile” which made it to number 32 on the Country chart. Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave the song three and a half stars, saying that “a lesser singer may have turned this song into a droll, cliché experience but “Wild in your Smile” pops with the help of some country-rock production”. He also said that “it sounds so easy for Lynch to sing with strength and conviction, and he’s showing the capability to navigate the subtleties that separate a good song from a great song”.

In early 2014, on March 31st, Lynch released his fourth single, “Where It’s At (Yep, Yep)”, which became his first number one on the Country Airplay chart in September 2014.

He received nominations for Single of the Year and Music Video of the Year at the American Country Awards 2012. He also received a CMT Music Award nomination for Breakthrough Video of the Year for “”Cowboys and Angels” in 2013.