Kendrick’s pgLang team to touch down at First Direct Arena on November 3rd
Kendrick Lamar is due to take the First Direct Arena by storm on 3rd November as part of his ‘The Big Steppers Tour’, accompanied by his pgLang troupe, consisting of Baby Keem and Tanna Leone. But what exactly is pgLang, and why has it been everywhere over the past year?
It is a multi-disciplinary creative collective, which houses a record label, a production company, and music publishing services. It was founded on March 5, 2020 and has increased virality lately with their various collaborations, music video releases and most recently for orchestrating Kendrick Lamar’s ‘The Big Steppers Tour’, which has been a huge success across North America and parts of Europe.
Who is signed to pgLang?
Kendrick Lamar – The man that needs no introduction. Legendary Compton MC Kendrick Lamar spearheads pgLang’s signees. Having spent almost the entirety of his career mentored by and signed to Top Dawg Entertainment, Kendrick sought to become more artistically independent, which was made clear in his last LP, Mr Morale & The Big Steppers, half of which was licensed by this new label of his. He has gone from strength to strength with his albums throughout the years, and has become an even better live performer too – ‘The Big Steppers Tour’ takes performance art to new heights, with narration by Helen Mirren.
Image Credits: Flickr / Kmeron
Baby Keem – Hykeem Carter, or as he is better known Baby Keem made his mainstream breakthrough last year with his debut studio album The Melodic Blue last September, coming in at number five on the Billboard 200 Chart. His signature production and rapping styles have evidently influenced his cousin Kendrick’s recent work, with its many beat and flow switches, as well as some playful adlibs scattered throughout. He joins Kendrick on ‘The Big Steppers Tour’ to perform their legendary collaborations, ‘Family Ties’, ‘Range Brothers’ and ‘Saviour’, as well as some of his own cuts.
Image Credits: @davefree on Twitter
Tanna Leone – A relative newcomer to the music scene, Tanna released his debut album Sleepy Soldier under pgLang in April this year. His talent made its way to the masses’ ears through his feature on the song ‘Mr. Morale’, from Mr Morale & The Big Steppers, with Kendrick’s protégée coming through with a cathartic chorus. He too joins the rest of the pgLang crew as they now embark on the Europe stretch of the tour. Tanna is certainly one to keep your eyes on.
Image Credits: @tannaleone on Twitter
Filmography
pgLang has also produced multiple music videos, under the direction of founder Dave Free. Videos included in their impressive portfolio are:
Baby Keem: ‘Hooligan’, ‘No Sense’, ‘Durag Activity’, ‘Family Ties’, ‘Issues’, ‘First Order of Business’, ‘16’
Kendrick Lamar: ‘The Heart Part 5’, ‘N95’, ‘We Cry Together’
Tanna Leone: ‘With the Villains’, ‘Death n’ Taxes’, ‘Nirvana’
The Big Steppers Tour
On November 3rd, expect nothing less than high-energy performances of some of the rapper’s best tracks from throughout his discography, as well as a run-through of his latest LP. The show is bound to be a spectacle, with clever use of shadows to create optical illusions, outfits inspired by Michael Jackson and some incredible dancers to give each song an extra bounce.
Tickets are available to buy for the Leeds show of the tour here. If you are a fan of his, or indeed Baby Keem or Tanna Leone, make sure to get tickets whilst you still can.
