heavy imagery of the Snoop Lion project, have been cherry picking from their culture whilst giving little back. Understandably, Diplo sees things differently. “Well, for me, it’s not that controversial. Major Lazer’s not that controversial — I mean, we are dancehall and Jamaican music. We make what people play now, and we’ve been down there playing shows in Jamaica. We’re part of the music scene, y’know? We’re creating it. If anything, we’re the ones creating the records for artists that DJs play now. We did our first live show in Jamaica, it was a big deal, it sold out. Go look online, look up Major Lazer in Kingston, and you’ll see it’s crazy. Our music, it’s Jamaican and it’s also dance music. “The Snoop record, it just seems like… ahhh, it’s just difficult for people to take it in, I don’t think they like everything, but when he’s down there he’s a hero to people, a huge celebrity. I’ve never seen a response like that from Jamaicans for what he does, so I hope the people just listen to the music. We’re not making a political message with the record, or about spirituality or God, we’re just making songs, you know? We just want people to hear them.”
Whilst it’s doubtful this response will please, or in any way silence the haters, we’re in no doubt as to Diplo’s genuine, long-standing enthusiasm for the dancehall scene. Is he surprised to find his rave-heavy interpretation having such an impact on other Jamaican producers? “I don’t think I imagined changing the direction of dancehall,” he shrugs. “I just made music for myself and when people started liking it, it gave me the energy to keep doing it. I’m just happy that people pay attention. I think, just in Jamaica man, the energy we get off all the artists is incredible. We played at Ultra Festival in Miami and Machel Montana from Trinidad came and did the show with us, and Sean Paul, it was just amazing.”
With the list of guest stars coming to get wavy under the Major Lazer banner an exhaustive snapshot of urban, alternative and dance talent, we want to know if there were any artists the constantly networking Pentz wanted for the new album but couldn’t get? “Ahhh yeah,” comes the reply. “I really wanted to use the No Doubt song on our album, but that song was a little late for us, and I gave it to them for their record — ‘Push & Shove’ — but I really wanted them to do a song for us. I wanted Gwen Stefani to do something, but it’s hard to separate her from the band. Also, I’d have loved to have Jimmy Cliff because he’s just started recording again. So he did something for Snoop, but we couldn’t get him on our record. There are a lot of artists actually — Nicki Minaj I really wanted to be on ‘Bubble Butt’, but we couldn’t get her — Azealia [Banks] as well. “With Nicki Minaj though, we just did a song together for Chris Brown’s album, that’s all finished now. I mean, I don’t know when any of these records are coming out. I have a lot of big records I’ve done for other artists now that’ll be out some time this year, but I have no idea when. Something with Katy Perry, something with 2 Chainz, Chris Brown, more with Usher, just r&b and pop, it seems to be where I’m at.”
Working with the top tier of the industry — including people notorious for their occasional personality ticks — you might think that ego was an issue, but Diplo breezes through. “I’ve never, ever had artists where I feel there’s been an ego issue. I’ve been lucky. I think it’s a
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new world. Everything’s just positive vibes, no one’s doing that thing anymore. And if people do have an ego, then they’ve got a handler to deal with the negative stuff.”
So with his gleeful, fanboy-baiting charge into pop’s goldmine, I wonder if there are any artists so lame, so lacking in credibility he wouldn’t work with them? Apparently not. “I don’t care about credibility at all. Only thing that makes me work with an artist is that we have a chemistry, that’s all I care about. Credibility is something that died a decade ago.” It’s only later that we realise a decade ago was round the time Diplo brought out his first releases. Draw from that what you will. Now that he’s getting huge recognition as a hit maker for Billboard artists, has he had to make any big lifestyle changes? He’s notorious as a party animal and he doesn’t seem to have slowed down any... “The thing is, you’ve got to live in the moment. That’s the whole vibe in creating this sort of thing, you can’t split in two, work at home and do your taxes, then make rave music. The only thing that’s changed is that now I’m better known, I can’t make fun of people on Twitter anymore. I used to always make fun of everybody, I can’t do it ‘cos they all know me, so if I say something I’ll get a message like ‘Yo, why you dissing my artist?’ I gotta hold my tongue and show a bit of self-control. It’s kinda embarrassing. I used to love the fact that I could say whatever I want but actually I know everybody now, so I can’t offend people. I see ‘em in the street and stuff.”
AMERICA
As Diplo readies himself to disappear off around the globe once again, we want to know, after widely popularising the joys of baile funk, dubstep, kuduro, moombahton, trap and bounce, where does he think is popping right now? “Man, I think it’s America, there are so many young kids, like DJ kids from Miami, all the young ones, they just abhor genre you know, they make everything y’know? I love this attitude right now in America. All the young kids are making all kinds of music, they make hip-hop records, they make No.1 Beatport electro house records, they make Miami bass, all in the same EP. Y’know, Skrillex helped a lot with creating that world where all the kids do everything. It’s really exciting, I think America’s on a whole new vibe. Beside that, I dunno, I’m into… I dunno, Korea? K Pop…”
And he laughs and he’s gone, off into the sky to take the madness and energy of Major Lazer on his ceaseless trek round the globe, absorbing, recording, blogging and partying all the way.
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