PGLang (stylized as pgLang, an acronym for Program Language) is an American multi-disciplinary creative collective founded by
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...
and
Dave Free
David Friley (born November 13, 1986), known professionally as Dave Free, is an American filmmaker, record executive, and former record producer. He is best known for his creative partnership with rapper Kendrick Lamar, with whom he founded the ...
. Launched on March 5, 2020, the collective houses a record label, a production company, and music publishing services.
History
Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free met when the two were in high school, and also co-directed music videos together under the collective name The Little Homies. In 2019, Free announced his departure from
Top Dawg Entertainment
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American independent record label founded in 2004, by CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Terrence "Punch" Henderson is president of the label. There are currently eleven artists signed to the label: the label's f ...
after being the co-president of the label, saying "None of the tactics we used back in the day to break Kendrick,
Ab-Soul
Herbert Anthony Stevens IV (born February 23, 1987), better known by his stage name Ab-Soul, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Raised in Carson, California, he signed to indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2007, where ...
,
Jay Rock
Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. (born March 31, 1983), better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Los Angeles. He signed to indie label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), in 2005. Under TDE, Rock secured a rec ...
, or
Schoolboy would work now. It's a whole new game. Blogs were very influential back then and I'd have to build a lot of relationships with blogs and now it's just more about streaming. You have to have the relationships with the streaming sites and it can't just be a fake relationship."
On March 5, 2020, Lamar and Free announced the launching of PGLang, which was described as a multilingual, artist-friendly service company. The company is multilingual for creators, with its official mission statement saying "Our community speaks music, film, television, art, books, and podcasts – because sometimes we have to use different languages to get the point of our stories across. Stories that speak to many nations, many races, and many ages." In a press release, Free said that the company "is not a record label, a movie studio, or a publishing house. This is something new. In this overstimulated time, we are focused on cultivating raw expression from grassroots partnerships." The announcement also featured a "visual mission statement", a four-minute short film starring Lamar,
Baby Keem
Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr. (born October 22, 2000), known professionally as Baby Keem, is an American rapper and record producer. He initially gained major recognition following the release of his single "Orange Soda", from his second mixtape ''Di ...
,
Jorja Smith
Jorja Alice Smith (born 11 June 1997) is an English singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Walsall, West Midlands, she has been writing songs since the age of 11. In 2012, Smith's friend uploaded her cover of Labrinth's "Earthquake" to YouTube, ...
, and
Yara Shahidi
Yara Sayeh Shahidi (born February 10, 2000) is an American actress and model. She gained recognition for her starring role as the oldest daughter Zoey Johnson on the sitcom ''Black-ish'' (2014–2022) and its spin-off series ''Grown-ish'' (2018 ...
. Lamar simply stated in the press release, "Selfless. Reset."
On January 13, 2021, PGLang announced an advertising campaign with
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and ...
, with a series of seven short films written and directed by Free. The short films included appearances from Baby Keem,
Brent Faiyaz
Christopher Brent Wood (born September 19, 1995), known professionally as Brent Faiyaz, is an American R&B singer. He rose to prominence after he was featured on the GoldLink single "Crew" alongside Shy Glizzy in 2016, which was certified 6× ...
, Mecca Allah, Travis Bennett, and Amber Wagner, among others. In 2022, an untitled comedy film to be produced by Free, Lamar,
Matt Stone
Matthew Richard Stone (born May 26, 1971) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, and composer. He is known for co-creating ''South Park'' (since 1997) and ''The Book of Mormon'' (2011) with his creative partner Trey Parker. Stone was interes ...
, and
Trey Parker
Randolph Severn "Trey" Parker III (born October 19, 1969) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, and composer. He is known for co-creating ''South Park'' (since 1997) and ''The Book of Mormon'' (2011) with his creative partner Matt Stone. P ...
was announced, with
Vernon Chatman
Vernon Chatman (born October 31, 1972) is an American television producer, writer, voice actor, stand-up comedian, musician and a member of PFFR, an art collective based in Brooklyn, New York City. He created the television series ''Wonder Showz ...
set to write.
On March 9, 2022, PGLang announced the signing of Los Angeles artist
Tanna Leone
Avante Ramone Santana (né Brown; born March 24, 1998), known professionally as Tanna Leone, is an American rapper. In March 2022, he became the third artist signed to PGLang, the multidisciplinary creative collective founded by rapper Kendric ...
. Leone would go on to release his debut album, ''Sleepy Soldier'', on April 27. On May 2, the company collaborated with
Converse
Converse may refer to:
Mathematics and logic
* Converse (logic), the result of reversing the two parts of a definite or implicational statement
** Converse implication, the converse of a material implication
** Converse nonimplication, a logical c ...
on a sneaker collection called "pgLang for Converse" featuring two silhouettes: the Chuck 70 and the Pro Leather. On May 13, Lamar released his fifth studio album ''
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers'' as a double album and his final project with Top Dawg Entertainment.
Roster
Discography
Studio albums
Filmography
Films
Music Videos
Other
References
{{Baby Keem
Kendrick Lamar
2019 establishments in California
Advertising agencies of the United States
American artist groups and collectives
American hip hop record labels
Entertainment companies based in California
Film production companies of the United States
Mass media companies of the United States
Music publishing companies of the United States
Privately held companies based in California
Record labels established in 2019
Record labels based in California