The creative empire of rapper Kendrick Lamar is steadily building. The seminal lyricist just announced a new creative company, PgLang, according to Complex.
Lamar, in one of his first tweets this year, released a video announcing the company:
Welcome to pgLang. https://t.co/IucgqwEiG0 pic.twitter.com/pooIBPEWl0
— Kendrick Lamar (@kendricklamar) March 5, 2020
The posted video was written and directed by Lamar’s partner in the venture, Dave Free. Baby Keem, Yara Shahidi, Jorja Smith, and Lamar have cameos in the short clip. The “visual mission statement” was executive produced by the PgLang partners, Lamar and Free, which boasts visual effects from Ethos, Andrew Finch, and Justin Johnson. The soundtrack to the video comes from Baby Keem’s “Jump 2” song and other music includes tracks from Florence Welch and Kamasi Washington who are also showcased in the clip.
According to the new company’s website:
“pgLang is multilingual. Our community speaks music, film, television, art, books, and podcast—because sometimes we have to use different languages to get the point of our stories across. Stories that speak to many nations, 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.
“We are creators — pgLang.”
The statement from PgLang reads:
“Created by Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free, this is a new multi-lingual, at-service company. It is not a “record label,” a “movie studio,” or a “publishing house.” This is something new.”
Lamar and Free’s new purpose at pgLang embodies something deeply personal to them. “pgLang is at service to creators and projects that selflessly speak with, and for, the shared experiences that connect us all. “In this overstimulated time, we are focused on cultivating raw expression from grassroots partnerships,” says co-founder Free. Lamar simply says “Selfless. Reset.”
“This is happening now because the media landscape is rapidly changing, empowering audiences with choices like never before. Only a few contemporary creators have figured out how to speak the evolving language of this generation without fading into the white noise or pre-assigned market share. pgLang is designed to be artist-friendly above all else and embrace both quality and unconventional concepts. This ethos will be applied to an array of creators who will join pgLang, including authors, film and television directors, fine artists, producers, musicians, and blah, blah, blah… you have all heard this sh*t before.
“Baby Keem, artist one partnering with pgLang, says, “Astronaut ideas. That is what I call the sh*t that I know I want but that stand alone. You know? Like, not everything has to ‘make sense’ to me in a rational way. This is how my mind stays fresh, by letting myself have my astronaut ideas and developing them even though it might confuse anyone else.”