Diplo and 50 Cent

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.

50 Cent had a rough childhood and grew up being exposed to a lot of things that would shape his musical career. At the age of 12 he was selling crack on the streets and also participated in amateur boxing. After running into trouble with the law at a young age he was sent to correctional boot camp and afterwards changed his outlook on life. At the age of 21 he formed in interest in rapping and in the late ‘90s he met Jam Master Jay from Run – D.M.C., who helped shaped Jackson’s rapping career.

In 2000 he was scheduled to release his album “Power of the Dollar” through Columbia Records, but he was dropped from the album before it was released. Although the album was never released it was heavily bootlegged and the single from the album “How To Rob” became popular in the underground scene and caught the attention of many notable rappers such as Jay-Z, Nas, and Wu-Tang Clan.

After being dropped from Columbia Records and receiving 9 gunshot wounds as the victim in a criminal incident, 50 Cent independently released the compilation album “Guess Who’s Back?” in 2002. The album was received with positive reviews and reached the No. 28 spot on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The album also caught the ear of Eminem, who introduced him to Dr. Dre and helped him get signed to a record deal.

2003 marked the year that 50 Cent released one of the most lauded albums of the decade, “Get Rich or Die Tryin’”. The album was released through Interscope Records and was produced by Eminem and Dr. Dre. The album was known for its dark, funky beats and was loaded with some of the hottest singles of the year including “In da Club” and “21 Questions”. The album reached the No. 1 spot on the US Billboard 200 chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The album is praised by critics and Rolling Stone has labeled it as one of the best albums of the 2000s.

After the success of “Get Rich of Die Tryin’” 50 Cent became the owner of his own record label G-Unit Records and signed the rappers Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Young Buck to the label who were also his partners in the group G-Unit. 50 Cent’s second studio album “The Massacre” came out in 2005 and was also a huge success. The album reached the top of the charts and made 50 Cent the first solo artist to have three singles on the Billboard’s top 5 with the tracks “Candy Shop”, “Disco Inferno”, and “How We Do”.

Apart from music 50 Cent has also delved into an acting career. He has played major roles in the films “Home of the Brave” and “Righteous Kill”, as well as starring in the semi-autobiographical film “Get Rich or Die Tryin’”.

50 Cent is also a persistent live performer and has embarked on multiple tours with a slew of sold out dates. He has shared the bill with many notable performers including Lloyd Banks, Lil B, Jay Rock, Nas and Ludacris. There is no doubt that 50 Cent has already established himself as a legendary musician, which can be conveyed with him having already sold over 30 million albums and winning myriads of awards.