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 formed the filmmaking duo the Little Homies and directed
music videos. 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." 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." 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." 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, brand collaborations and Project 3 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 untitled film is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 4, 2025, in a nod to
American Independence Day. 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 partnered with
Spotify and
non-governmental organization Surf Ghana to open Vibrate Space, a community recording studio and music business program in
Accra. 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. In November 2023, the company released 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. 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. Lamar unexpectedly announced
The Pop Out: Ken & Friends two weeks prior to the event. It was a one-off
concert held at the
Kia Forum in
Inglewood, California, on June 19, 2024. The
Juneteenth and
Black Music Month celebration marked Lamar's first major performance following his
highly publicized feud with Canadian rapper
Drake. Its set list consisted of about 60 songs predominantly conceived by musicians based in the
Greater Los Angeles area. Spanning over three hours, over 25
West Coast artists were featured during the event, including
opening acts DJ Hed and
Mustard,
Ty Dolla Sign,
Dom Kennedy,
Steve Lacy,
Tyler, the Creator,
Roddy Ricch,
YG,
Schoolboy Q,
Jay Rock,
Ab-Soul, and
Dr. Dre. Lamar performed four of his five Drake-aimed
diss tracks, "
Like That", "
Euphoria", "
6:16 in LA" and "
Not Like Us", for the first time during his headlining set; the latter track was performed five consecutive times. After witnessing an exceedingly high demand in tickets,
Amazon Music live-streamed the Pop Out through
Prime Video and
Twitch. A total of 16,000 fans were in attendance for the event. The impromptu concert received widespread acclaim from critics, who hailed it as a cultural landmark for
West Coast hip hop and Lamar's legacy. It currently holds the record for the most minutes watched of any video production distributed by Amazon Music. On November 22, 2024, Kendrick Lamar released
GNX, his sixth album and second under PGLang. 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. On September 8, 2024, the
NFL,
Apple Music and
Roc Nation announced Lamar as the headlining act for the
Super Bowl LIX halftime show. He is the first rapper to lead the festivities multiple times. Lamar shared the news by posting a promotional trailer on
YouTube, which was directed by his long-time creative partner Dave Free. 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. Speculation arose as to whether he would incorporate "Not Like Us" into his performance. On January 23, 2025, it was announced that
SZA would be joining as a special guest. 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 magazine Fast 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. 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. On 12 November 2025, Project 3 and
ArtScience Museum (within the integrated resort of
Marina Bay Sands in the
Downtown Core of the
Central Area in
Singapore) officially announced their partnership, intended for the museum's rebrand and current-to-upcoming shows. On 10 February 2026, Baby Keem announced his second studio album, titled
Ca$ino, via Instagram, set to be released ten days later on February 20th, also revealing the album cover and announcing the availability of a limited edition vinyl release. To accompany the announcement, Keem shared a
short documentary film titled "Booman I" on YouTube. The media contains video clips of Keem in the studio, showing personal videos and interviews with his family, including his cousin Kendrick Lamar. The nearly 10-minute video clip was directed by
Alexandre Moors and LaConnie Govan, it was co-produced by Lamar, Dave Free, and the duo's label PGLang, along with Eerie Times, and in association with
Good Company. On March 19, 2026, PGLang along with Project 3, partnered with
Adidas, for an exclusive event at the Lower Grand Tunnel in
Los Angeles, called the "Three Lanes", which featured live performances from Baby Keem and
Kaytranada, as well as the unveiling and promotion of the special edition
Adidas Originals away kit designs that the sportswear brand manufactured for 25 national
soccer teams, those set to premiere and to be worn during the
2026 FIFA World Cup. ==Roster==