Major Lazer

Major Lazer
Major Lazer onstage
Diplo and Walshy Fire of Major Lazer performing at Flow Festival in Helsinki on August 14, 2015
Background information
OriginKingston, Jamaica
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Record producers
  • DJs
  • multi-instrumentalists
Years active2008–present
Labels
Members
Past members

Major Lazer is a Jamaican-American electronic dance music and DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. They originate from Kingston, Jamaica, 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.[1] Its music spans numerous genres, mixing reggae with dancehall, reggaeton, soca,[2] house and moombahton.[3][4][5][6]

Major Lazer has released four full-length albums: Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do in 2009, Free the Universe in 2013, Peace Is the Mission in 2015, and Music Is the Weapon in 2020. They have also released six EPs, including Apocalypse Soon in March 2014, which featured vocal contributions from Pharrell Williams and Sean Paul, and Know No Better in 2017, which featured appearances from Camila Cabello, Quavo, Travis Scott, and J Balvin, among others. Major Lazer has also notably produced Reincarnated, the debut reggae album by Snoop Dogg under his "Snoop Lion" persona.[7] In March 2018, Billboard ranked Major Lazer at number five on their 2018 Billboard Dance 100 ranking of dance musicians.[8][9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference AD was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Listen to Major Lazer's Jillionaire Join Forces With Soca Star Bunji Garlin on 'Television' (Exclusive)". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  3. ^ "Interview – EDM Band Interview – Major Lazer (USA)". indoclubbing.com.
  4. ^ Jeffries, David. Peace Is the Mission at AllMusic. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  5. ^ Dolan, Jon (June 2, 2015). "Major Lazer's New Album: Peace Is the Mission". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  6. ^ Ma-less. "Diplo & Major Lazer – Meet the People Keeping Moombahton Alive – Complex CA". Complex CA.
  7. ^ Blistein, Jon (March 15, 2013). "Snoop Lion and Major Lazer Host Raucous Bash in Austin". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  8. ^ "Billboard Dance 100 Artists of 2018: The Complete List". Billboard. March 22, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  9. ^ "The Chainsmokers named top DJs in the world by Billboard". WJBD. Archived from the original on March 22, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.