PGLang

PGLang [ProGrammingLanguage] (stylized as "pgLang") is an American multi-disciplinary media company co-founded by American recording artist Kendrick Lamar and his business partner Dave Free, in 2020.[1] It is a service company that encompasses a record label, a production house, and publishing.[2]

PGLang
TypePrivate
IndustryEntertainment
Founded2020 (2020)
FounderKendrick Lamar
Dave Free
Headquarters
United States
Services
WebsiteOfficial website

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.[3] In 2019, Free announced his departure from Top Dawg Entertainment after being the co-president of the label, saying "None of the tactics we used back in the day to break Kendrick, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, 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."[4]

On March 5, 2020, Lamar and Free announced the launching of PGLang, which was described as a multilingual, artist-friendly service company.[5][6] 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."[7] 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."[8] The announcement also featured a "visual mission statement", a four-minute short film starring Lamar, Baby Keem, Jorja Smith, and Yara Shahidi.[9] Lamar simply stated in the press release, "Selfless. Reset."[10][11]

On January 13, 2021, PGLang announced a collaboration project with Calvin Klein, with a series of seven short films written and directed by Free.[12] The short films included appearances from Baby Keem, Brent Faiyaz, Mecca Allah, Travis Bennett, and Amber Wagner, among others.[13][14]

In 2022, an untitled comedy film to be produced by Dave Free, Kendrick Lamar, Matt Stone, and Trey Parker was announced, with Vernon Chatman set to write.[15] On March 9, 2022, pgLang announced the signing of Los Angeles artist Tanna Leone.[16]

On April 18, 2022, Kendrick Lamar revealed the release date of his upcoming album "Mr. Morale & Big Steppers," set to debut on May 13, 2022. This announcement was made via a post shared on Instagram. It will be his final album with Top Dawg Entertainment label.[17]

Roster
Act Year
signed		 Releases
under pgLang		 Notes
Kendrick Lamar 2020 1 Founder
Baby Keem 2020 1 Partnership with Columbia
Tanna Leone 2022 1 Partnership with Def Jam

Discography

Studio albums
Artist Album Details
Baby Keem The Melodic Blue
Tanna Leone Sleepy Soldier
  • Release: April 27, 2022
  • Label: pgLang, Def Jam
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Kendrick Lamar Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers

Filmography
Year Title Notes
2020 Calvin Klein short films

References
  1. Alter, Rebecca. "Kendrick Lamar, Pulitzer Prize Winner, Launches Something 'Selfless'". Vulture.
  2. Mamo, Heran. "Kendrick Lamar Announces Mysterious 'pgLang' Project: What Does It All Mean?". Billboard.
  3. Yoo, Noah. "Dave Free No Longer Co-President of Top Dawg Entertainment: Report". Pitchfork.
  4. "Dave Free Leaves Top Dawg Entertainment". Rolling Stone.
  5. Mamo, Heran. "Kendrick Lamar Announces Mysterious 'pgLang' Project: What Does It All Mean?". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  6. Holmes, Charles (March 5, 2020). "Kendrick Lamar Launches... Something (And Says It's Not a Record Label)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  7. McKinney, Jessica. "What Is pgLang? Kendrick Lamar's Mysterious New Company, Explained". Complex.
  8. "Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free Launch New Company pgLang". Complex. Archived from the original on March 6, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  9. DeVille, Chris. "Kendrick Lamar & Dave Free Launch "At Service Company" pgLang". StereoGum. Archived from the original on March 6, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  10. Strauss, Matthew. "Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free Launch New Company pgLang". Pitchfork.
  11. "What Is PgLang? Decoding Kendrick Lamar's Mysterious Company". GQ.
  12. Dunn, Frankie. "Kendrick Lamar's pgLang has collaborated with Calvin Klein". Vice.
  13. Triscari, Caleb. "Kendrick Lamar's pgLang announces creative project featuring Baby Keem, Brent Faiyaz and more". NME.
  14. Darville, Jordan. "Kendrick Lamar's pgLang is launching a Calvin Klein campaign". The Fader.
  15. Grobar, Matt. "Kendrick Lamar, Dave Free & 'South Park' Duo Matt Stone And Trey Parker To Produce Comedy Penned By Vernon Chatman For Paramount". Deadline.
  16. "Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free's pgLang Announces Partnership With Los Angeles Artist Tanna Leone". Complex.
  17. Blistein, Jon (April 18, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar Finally Announces New Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.