Gordo (DJ)

Diamanté Anthony Blackmon (born January 3, 1991),^[2] known professionally as Gordo (stylized GORDO)^[3] and formerly known as Carnage (or DJ Carnage),^[4] is a Guatemalan-American DJ, record producer, and former rapper.^[5][6] Born in Guatemala and raised in Frederick, Maryland, he first saw recognition for his DJ mixes and live performances at music festivals such as Tomorrowland and Ultra Music Festival. While releasing EDM-oriented singles, he occasionally performed as a recording artist; however, he has since retired from doing so, along with his Carnage stage name in favor of Gordo in 2022, and has since worked solely in production for other artists.^[7]

Gordo
Gordo in 2022
Background information
Birth name	Diamanté Anthony Blackmon
Also known as	Gordo Carnage DJ Carnage Thirty Rack
Born	(1991-01-03) January 3, 1991 (age 33)
Origin	Frederick, Maryland, U.S. Guatemala City, Guatemala^[1]
Genres	EDM hip hop trap tech house
Occupation(s)	Disc jockey record producer rapper (former)
Years active	2008–present
Labels	Spinnin' Ultra Dim Mak Fool's Gold Heavyweight
Website	www.gordoszn.com

As a musical act, he began exploring EDM production in 2012 under the moniker Carnage, and signed with Ultra Records to release the single "Bricks" (with Migos) in 2014, followed by "Incredible" (with Borgore) and "Toca" (with Timmy Trumpet and KSHMR) the following year. His debut studio album, Papi Gordo (2015) peaked atop the Dance/Electronic Albums chart and narrowly entered the Billboard 200. Its preceding single, "I Like Tuh" (with ILoveMakonnen) received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His second album, Battered Bruised & Bloody (2018) further delved into hip hop and was critically panned.^[8]

Early life

Diamanté Anthony Blackmon was born on January 3, 1991, in Guatemala City, Guatemala. He grew up in Frederick, Maryland. He attended Walkersville High School in Walkersville, Maryland.^[9] When he was 16 years old, he started playing in small clubs in his hometown of Frederick .^[2][10]

Career

As Carnage

Blackmon made his debut as Carnage in 2012.^[11] Blackmon established himself as an artist in the EDM genre. Collaborations with DJs such as Borgore, KSHMR, Timmy Trumpet, and Headhunterz are put to his credit.^[12] His 2014 single, "The Underground" (with Alvaro) reached the 4th spot on Beatport's Top 100 list.^[13] His 2015 single, "Toca" (with KSHMR, whom he met two years prior) was released through the EDM-based record label Ultra Music.^[14]

"Toca" was issued as a single for his debut studio album Papi Gordo, which peaked at number 184 on the Billboard 200.^[15] The album also included the singles "Bricks," "I Like Tuh," "WDYW," and "November Skies." Guest appearances included various hip hop artists such as Lil Uzi Vert, Rick Ross, Migos, Rich the Kid, ASAP Ferg, ILoveMakonnen, OG Maco, and Ty Dolla Sign. Blackmon performed minimally as a recording artist on the album, and critical reception was mixed.^[16]

In September 2017, he released Young Martha, a collaborative extended play with Young Thug. In April 2018, he released his second album Battered Bruised & Bloody, which mainly explored a trap sound and included the single "I Shyne" (featuring Lil Pump).

As Gordo

Blackmon rebranded under the alias Gordo at Club Space in Miami, then went on to release "KTM," his first single under the Gordo name, in February 2021.^[17] As Gordo, he performed at the Art of the Wild music festival at Wynn Las Vegas in March 2021.^[18] He released his second single under the Gordo alias, "Taraka," in September 2021.^[19] Taraka was also namesake of his hosted-event series which has appeared up in various locations across Europe and North America.^[20] Taraka features underground artists, extended sets and surprise guests handpicked by Blackmon.^[21][22][23]

In May 2022, he retired the name Carnage after 14 years in favor of his new alias as Gordo.^[3][24] He made the change to reflect his transition from trap and bass to the house and techno subgenres.^[25] Following the name change, Blackmon significantly expanded his production. He produced multiple songs for Drake's Billboard 200 number one album Honestly, Nevermind (2022), including its single "Sticky."^{[26] [27]} He has also served as an artist-in-residence at the XS nightclub in Las Vegas.^[28] Gordo also performed the final show at Pershing Square before its closure for renovation in August 2022.^[21] He also performed at the Electric Zoo music festival in September 2022.^[29] The following year, Blackmon produced heavily for Drake's subsequent album For All the Dogs (2023), including its single "Rich Baby Daddy."^[30]

Personal life

He is based in Los Angeles.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Nominated work	Category	Result
2014	DJ Mag	Carnage	Top 100 DJs^[31]	No. 63
2015			Top 100 DJs^[32]	No. 88
2016			Top 100 DJs	No. 84
2021		Carnage/GORDO	Top 100 DJs	No. 37
2023		GORDO	Top 100 DJs^[33]	No. 25
2023			Top 100 DJs^[34]	No. 21

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		US Dance ^[35]	US Ind. ^[36]	US Heat ^[37]	US ^[38]
Papi Gordo	Released: October 30, 2015 Label: Ultra Format: Digital download, CD	1	15	1	184
Battered Bruised & Bloody	Released: April 13, 2018 Label: Heavyweight Records Format: Digital download, CD	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

EPs

List of extended plays, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details
Young Martha (with Young Thug)	Released: September 22, 2017^[39] Label: YSL, 300, Heavyweight Records Formats: Digital download

Charting singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions			Certifications	Album
		US Tracks ^[40]	US Air ^[41]	ARG ^[42]
"I Like Tuh" (featuring ILoveMakonnen)	2015	29	—	—	RIAA: Gold^[43]	Papi Gordo
"November Skies" (featuring Tomas Barfod and Nina Kinert)	2016	—	36	—
"Hombres y Mujeres" (with Feid)	2022	—	—	76		Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

2018

• I Shyne (with Lil Pump)

Production discography

2023

• Rich Baby Daddy - Drake featuring Sexyy Red & SZA

2022

• Honestly, Nevermind album by Drake
  • Sticky
  • Massive
  • Currents
  • Calling My Name

References

1. "GORDO on X: "My Family is from Nicaragua... Managua to be exact.. So im actually nicoya but I was raised in Guatemala... Which also makes me Chapin :)". X.com. November 22, 2012.
2. "Ultimate Music Experience Artist Profile: Carnage". Disco Donnie Presents.
3. "Carnage retires name from music after 14 years". DJMag.com. May 6, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
4. "Carnage Launches Heavyweight Records, Releases Debut Single 'Xan Man' Featuring Alter-Ego Thirty Rack". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
5. "Carnage – Tour Dates, Tickets, Music, Bio, Photos and Videos". DJOYbeat.com.
6. "Los Angeles-based DJ Carnage at Aragon Ballroom". AXS.
7. "Drake Endorses Gordo's "Insane" New Album". EDM.com. December 2, 2023.
8. https://www.complex.com/music/2016/07/carnage-young-thug-shakka-dont-call-me
9. "Walkersville High School DJ aiming for musical dominance".
10. Ward, Nick (December 11, 2014). "Good Guy Carnage Opens New School In Nicaragua". Your EDM. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
11. Villa, Lucas (September 19, 2022). "8 Latin Electronic Producers to Watch During Hispanic Heritage Month 2022". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
12. "CARNAGE". The DJ List.
13. "The Underground (Original Mix) [Spinnin Records] – Beatport Top Tracker". Beatport Top Tracker.
14. "Carnage feat Timmy Trumpet & KSHMR – "Toca" : Huge Electro House Collaboration". ThisSongIsSick.com.
15. "Papi Gordo – Carnage > Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation.
16. https://www.allmusic.com/album/papi-gordo-mw0002897812
17. "Carnage Launches his House Alias, GORDO, with the new single "KTM"". Beatportal. February 26, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
18. "Wynn's Art of the Wild adds another day, along with new artists and parties – Las Vegas Weekly". lasvegasweekly.com. March 17, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
19. "Carnage shares new single, 'TARAKA', under GORDO alias: Listen". DJMag.com. September 20, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
20. Heffler, Jason. "GORDO Announces Summer 2022 Residency In Mykonos". EDM.com – The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
21. Grant, Shawn (July 27, 2022). "GORDO Announces Five-Hour Dance Set for Pershing Square in Los Angeles". The Source. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
22. Bhanawat, Akshay (July 20, 2022). "GORDO Announces TARAKA San Francisco At Iconic Venue The Mint". T.H.E – Music Essentials. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
23. "Acraze and GORDO to headline Detroit Memorial Day Weekend parties". Mixmag. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
24. "DJ Carnage Announces Birth of New Persona 'Gordo' After Retirement". TMZ. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
25. Bain, Katie (May 14, 2022). "Carnage Was 'Miserable' Playing Under the Name: Why His New Project Is 'Pissing People Off' & How Avicii Helped Inspire the Switch". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
26. ""We started it": Drake's producer Gordo on reclaiming Black dance music on Honestly, Nevermind". British GQ. June 22, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
27. Bhanawat, Akshay (July 2, 2022). "GORDO Announces His TARAKA Mykonos Summer Residency At Destino". T.H.E – Music Essentials. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
28. "DJMag.com | Top 100 DJs - - Position 1". DJMag.com. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
29. "Electric Zoo's Top 5 Performances From 2022". Your EDM. September 8, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
30. https://themusicessentials.com/news/carnage-quits/
31. "Top 100 DJs | DJMag.com". DJ Mag.
32. Rambaud, Ludovic. "Top 100 DJs 2015 : les 50 suivants (#101-#150) !". Retrieved June 20, 2015.
33. "GORDO | Top 100 DJs 2022". DJMag.com. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
34. "GORDO | Top 100 DJs 2023". DJMag.com. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
35. "Carnage – Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
36. "Carnage – Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
37. "Carnage – Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
38. "Carnage – Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
39. "Young Thug And Carnage Dropping "Young Martha" EP This Friday!". Power 106. September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
40. "Carnage – Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
41. "Carnage – Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
42. "Billboard Argentina Hot 100: The Week of February 10, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
43. "American single certifications – Carnage – I Like Tuh". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

• Official website