PGLang (stylized as pgLang, an abbreviation for "program language") is an American independent multidisciplinary creative communications company headquartered in Los Angeles. Founded and owned by Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free, it specializes in music and visual media production. 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.[1] They signed to independent record labelTop Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in the early 2000s; Free later assumed the role as the label's co-president, while Lamar became a minority shareholder.[2] Through TDE, they formed the filmmaking duo the Little Homies and directed music videos.[3] On October 4, 2019, Rolling Stone reported that Free had departed TDE and was working independently with rapper Baby Keem.[4] Lamar later announced that he would also end his tenure with TDE through the release of his fifth studio album.[5]
Lamar and Free formally launched PGLang on March 5, 2020, which was described as a "multilingual, artist-friendly, at service company."[6] The company's mission statement reads:
PGLang is multilingual. 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. That is why our writers, singers, directors, musicians, and producers break formats when we build ideas and make them real for the curious. Putting round pegs through square holes is not a process, but we embrace the idea of anarchy and challenges that make us stronger. PGLang is focused on using our experiences, and nurturing our many collaborators, to build stories that are equally accessible and engaging then fitting them within the best media.[7]
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."[8] He considers PGLang to be a communications company, explaining: "we tell stories; we communicate between artists and establishments; we communicate that taste is interchangeable between fields."[9] Free stressed the importance of branding PGLang correctly to allow the company to be ambiguous, which gives him and Lamar "more room to grow and experiment. Creative companies haven't really worked like this before because they usually have a specific story and aesthetic, but we are taking a different approach."[9]
PGLang won six awards during the 2023 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, including the Film Craft Grand Prix for Direction and the Special Award for Independent Agency of the Year – Craft.[31][32] In November 2023, the company released their second footwear collaboration with Converse and their first mobile phone collaboration with Light Phone.[33][34]Dominic Fike and Baby Keem starred in the advertising campaign for Converse.[35] PGLang announced a five-year partnership with Global Citizen to establish and curate Move Afrika: A Global Citizen Experience, the first major touring circuit across the African continent.[36]
On November 22, 2024, Kendrick Lamar released GNX, his sixth album and second under PGLang.[37] Titled after the Buick Regal model and following his feud with Drake, GNX is Lamar's first album to be released after his departure from longtime labels Top Dawg Entertainment and Aftermath Entertainment.[38][39]
On September 8, 2024, the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Lamar as the headlining act for the Super Bowl LIX halftime show.[40] He is the first rapper to lead the festivities multiple times.[41] Lamar shared the news by posting a promotional trailer on YouTube, which was directed by his long-time creative partner Dave Free.[42] The one-shot trailer shows him on a football field in front of a large American flag throwing footballs through a passing machine at off-screen players.[42] As he shouts motivational remarks to them, he introduces himself as the headliner.[42] In the video announcing his selection, Lamar said "You know it's only one opportunity to win a championship. No round twos", which was interpreted as a shot against Drake, who posted a few weeks before that "we will win Game 2".[43][44][45] Speculation arose as to whether he would incorporate "Not Like Us" into his performance.[46][47] On January 23, 2025, it was announced that SZA would be joining as a special guest.[48] The Super Bowl LIX halftime show, officially known as the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show for sponsorship reasons, was the halftime entertainment of Super Bowl LIX, which took place on February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. It featured guest appearances from singer-songwriter SZA, actor Samuel L. Jackson, tennis player Serena Williams, and DJ and record producer Mustard. The show was televised nationally in the U.S. by Fox and Fox Deportes, with streaming available via Tubi and NFL+. The performance was seen by a combined 133.5 million viewers domestically across all platforms, surpassing Michael Jackson's performance at Super Bowl XXVII in 1993 as the most viewed halftime show in the United States.
On March 18, 2025, American business magazineFast Company released their "annual ranking of the world's most innovative companies over 58 industries and sectors, from advertising to video", with PGLang ranked as the 15th overall.[49]
On July 31, 2025, PGLang announced Project 3, their newest branch and creative agency. The announcement was released along with a short film titled The Agency, starring Chase Sui Wonders and Lionel Boyce, directed by Jack Begert, who co-wrote it alongside Dave Free.[50][51]
