PGLang (stylized as pgLang, an acronym for Program Language) is an American independent multidisciplinary creative services company specializing in music and visual media production. It was founded by Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free in 2020, and is headquartered in Los Angeles. The company has won six Cannes Lions Awards, including the Special Award for Independent Agency of the Year – Craft in 2023.
History
2019–2021: Background and launch
American rapper Kendrick Lamar and American filmmaker Dave Free are creative partners who met while they were in high school. They signed to independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in the early 2000s; Free later assumed the role as the label's co-president, while Lamar became a minority shareholder. Through TDE, they directed music videos together under the collective name the Little Homies. On October 4, 2019, Rolling Stone reported that Free had departed TDE and was working independently with rapper Baby Keem. Lamar later announced that he would also end his tenure with TDE through the release of his fifth studio album.
Lamar and Free formally launched PGLang on March 5, 2020, which was described as a "multilingual, artist-friendly, at service company." The company's mission statement reads:
In a separate press release, Free clarified that PGLang "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." On January 13, 2021, PGLang launched an advertising campaign for fashion house Calvin Klein, with a series of seven short films written and directed by Free. The short films starred Baby Keem, Brent Faiyaz, and Travis Bennett, among others. Through his joint contract with Columbia Records, Baby Keem released his debut album, The Melodic Blue, on September 10, 2021. The album received generally positive reviews from music critics and debuted at number five on the Billboard 200. Its single, "Family Ties" with Lamar, won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance.
2022–present: Breakthrough and brand collaborations
On January 13, 2022, Deadline Hollywood reported that Lamar and Free were producing a comedy feature film through PGLang, in a partnership with South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, for Paramount Pictures. The company announced the signing of rapper Tanna Leone on March 9, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings. He released his debut album, Sleepy Soldier, on April 27, 2022. PGLang launched a footwear collaboration and advertising campaign for lifestyle brand Converse on May 2, 2022, which starred Leone and Selah Marley.
Lamar released his fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,on May 13, 2022. Receiving critical acclaim, the album debuted atop the Billboard 200 and was later awarded the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. PGLang presented its accompanying tour, the Big Steppers Tour, through a partnership with Cash App and Amazon Music. The tour premiered an advertising campaign co-starring Lamar and Ray Dalio for Cash App, which won a Webby Award for Top Scripted (Branded) Video, and the short film adaptation of "We Cry Together", a song by Lamar and Taylour Paige. A concert film documenting the tour, Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour, was released through Amazon Prime Video on November 23, 2022.
PGLang won six awards during the 2023 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, including the Film Craft Grand Prix and the Special Award for Independent Agency of the Year – Craft. On November 2, 2023, the company will release their second footwear collaboration with Converse and their first mobile phone collaboration with Light Phone. Dominic Fike and Baby Keem starred in the advertising campaign for Converse.