DJ Snake

William Sami Etienn Grigahcine, (better known by his stage name DJ Snake), is a French DJ, rapper and producer of Algerian descent who mixes rap and electronic dance music.

DJ Snake is a Grammy-nominated producer and artist who debuted into the international scene with singles "Bird Machine" and "Turn Down for What" in 2013. "Bird Machine" is a collaboration with fellow French act Alesia. The single was picked up by Mad Decent, a Los Angeles-based record label run by Diplo, and released in February 2013. In June 2013, DJ Snake was invited by Diplo to do a live mix on his radio show, "Diplo & Friends", which airs on BBC Radio 1.

DJ Snake was announced to be working on a collaboration with Diplo, originally slated to debut in 2014; it eventually released in 2015 as the single "Lean On" in collaboration with MØ and Diplo's Major Lazer. On April 30, 2014, DJ Snake was labeled as an "Artist to Watch" by FoxWeekly. He and Dillon Francis were announced as alternating supporting artists for the summer Mothership Tour 2014 with Skrillex.

Snake

Snakes are elongated, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints than their lizard ancestors, enabling them to swallow prey much larger than their heads with their highly mobile jaws. To accommodate their narrow bodies, snakes' paired organs (such as kidneys) appear one in front of the other instead of side by side, and most have only one functional lung. Some species retain a pelvic girdle with a pair of vestigial claws on either side of the cloaca.

Living snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica, and on most smaller land masses — exceptions include some large islands, such as Ireland and New Zealand, and many small islands of the Atlantic and central Pacific. Additionally, sea snakes are widespread throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans. More than 20 families are currently recognized, comprising about 500 genera and about 3,400 species. They range in size from the tiny, 10 cm-long thread snake to the reticulated python of up to 6.95 meters (22.8 ft) in length. The fossil species Titanoboa cerrejonensis was 13 meters (43 ft) long. Snakes are thought to have evolved from either burrowing or aquatic lizards, perhaps during the Jurassic period, with the earliest known fossils dating to between 143 and 167 Ma ago. The diversity of modern snakes appeared during the Paleocene period (c 66 to 56 Ma ago). The oldest preserved descriptions of snakes can be found in the Brooklyn Papyrus.

Bipolar Sunshine

Bipolar Sunshine is the pseudonym of English singer Adio Marchant. Previously the co-vocalist with the Manchester band Kid British, he embarked on a solo career in 2013. Signed to Polydor/Aesthetic Recording, he has released two EPs to date and is currently working on his debut album.

Career

Marchant was raised in Didsbury, south Manchester, by Jamaican parents who separated when he was still young. In 2007, he co-founded and contributed vocals in the six-piece Kid British. The band went on to have a moderately successful career and released five EPs between 2009 and 2012 before splitting with a final farewell gig in Manchester in December 2012.

His debut solo EP as Bipolar Sunshine, Aesthetics, was released in June 2013, with the lead track "Rivers" becoming iTunes' 'free single of the week'. His next EP Drowning Butterflies followed in November 2013 and featured the single "Love More Worry Less". In 2014, Bipolar Sunshine embarked on A Dream for Dreamer's Tour in the UK, with his London show at XOYO sold out 5 weeks in advance. He released two singles: "Where Did the Love Go" which was featured on BBC Radio 1's playlist and "Deckchairs on the Moon" which charted at no. 85 in the UK Singles Sales Chart and no. 93 in the UK Downloads Chart. He appeared at Blissfields festival and headlined Shepherd's Bush Empire.

Major Lazer

Major Lazer is an electronic music group originally created by record producers Diplo and Switch. Switch left in 2011, but Diplo remained, with additional members Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. Their music spans numerous music styles, mixing EDM with reggae, dancehall, electronic, reggaeton, house, and moombahton genres.

Major Lazer has released three full-length albums – Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do, Free the Universe, and Peace Is the Mission, released in 2009, 2013, and 2015, respectively. They have also released an EP entitled Apocalypse Soon in March 2014, which featured vocal contributions from Pharrell Williams and Sean Paul. In addition, Major Lazer has also produced Reincarnated, the debut reggae album by Snoop Dogg under his "Snoop Lion" persona.

Background

2009–11: Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do and Lazers Never Die EP

Formerly made up of DJ Diplo and Switch, the two were introduced after working with M.I.A.. The duo's first album Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do was released on 16 June 2009, on Downtown Records. It was recorded in Jamaica at Tuff Gong Studios. Vocalists such as Santigold, Vybz Kartel, Ward 21, Busy Signal, Nina Sky, Amanda Blank, Mr. Vegas, Turbulence, Mapei, T.O.K, Prince Zimboo, Leftside and others contribute guest vocals to the album, as well as additional production from Afrojack and Crookers. This is the first release to come out of the label partnership between Downtown Records and Diplo's label Mad Decent. Major Lazer ended a US tour last summer.

Lil Jon

Jonathan Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, DJ and actor. He was the frontman of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz, which he formed in 1997, and they released several albums until 2004. He then went solo and released a new album in 2010 titled Crunk Rock. He was also featured on Celebrity Apprentice during its 11th and 13th seasons.

Life and career

Beginnings

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Smith graduated from Frederick Douglass High School in Atlanta. After working as a DJ for Atlanta night clubs, he started working for So So Def Recordings between 1993 and 2000.

Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz

Smith took the stage name Lil Jon and formed musical group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz with rappers Big Sam (born Sammie Dernard Norris) and Lil' Bo (born Wendell Maurice Neal). The group signed to the Atlanta-based Mirror Image Records and were distributed by Ichiban Records. In 1997, Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz debuted with Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album. It included singles "Who U Wit?" and "Shawty Freak a Lil' Sumthin'", the latter of which came out in 1998. Both singles charted on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at No. 70 and No. 62 respectively. In 2000, Jon took part in starting up his own label BME Recordings and signed a distribution agreement with Norcross, Georgia-based Southern Music Distribution. There he released his breakthrough album titled We Still Crunk!. Among the tracks on that project was the hit single "I Like Those Girls", which reached No. 55 on the R&B chart and No. 3 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart.