According to Diplo, he gets a lot of his success because he’s white.
When speaking with Q Magazine, Diplo apparently said, “I get a lot of success because I’m white. You have to be aware that it’s happening.” Using his failed attempts to drum up interest for baile funk acts outside of Brazil as an example, he pointed out, “Nobody wanted to see some black guy come out of the ghettos of Brazil and talk about real gangsta stuff. I learned really quick what marketing for the rest of the world was like.”
Diplo uses his own observations from traveling across Jamaica and South America, citing a lack of musical identity in these countries and a willingness to absorb the US’s Top 40 hits.
“For us there’s never really a feeling of authenticity because there’s no authenticity there. When I was first going there the biggest record in Jamaica was Owl City’s ‘Fireflies’! Miley Cyrus’s ‘Party In The USA’ shut down Jamaica! So I thought, ‘Who the fuck cares what people in England or America think about me going to Jamaica?'”
It’s not as if Diplo is speaking falsely – I’m sure that a lot of his international success is because he’s white, and due to what’s called “white privilege”.
But to Diplo’s own credit, he’s also a very powerful producer and one of the most consistent icons in modern dance music. His appearance in press has kept his name at the very top of everyone’s mind, and his collaborations, duos and singles prove that he has what it takes in the studio and behind the decks.
Don’t sell yourself short, Diplo.
