Dave Free, alongside Kendrick Lamar, established the pgLang creative imprint thus amicably ending a years-long connection with Top Dawg Entertainment. In a new interview, Dave Free discusses the finer parts of the pgLang business, working with Kendrick Lamar, and more.
Dave Free granted an interview to Elephant magazine, which opened by explaining his links with TDE that date back to the early 2000s. Free, now 37, was a childhood friend of Kendrick Lamar and hustled his way into the music business while assisting K-Dot in his early days.
From Elephant:
Gabe Allanoff: I know you rarely give interviews. Why did you agree to do one now?
Dave Free: I’m shedding a skin. You know what I’m saying? I’m not gonna do too much of this though, I’ll tell you that for sure. That’s not in the plans at all. And, to be honest, it’s a bit of a test for myself. Hiding out serves me well, but it’s bigger than me. I’m just trying to be a contributing player to the new age of how information is shared. I’m just trying to bring an offering.
GA: Why have you been hiding out?
DF: It fits my personality, and I’m always trying to run from hypebeast shit. I want people to know that when they hear from me, they can actually get something from it. I’m not just trying to be a yapper. I’m not trying to show up and just do a lot of yapping. It’s words with action, you know?
GA: That was my main takeaway from the newest iteration of the pgLang website: you only use action words—no descriptors, no adverbs, no adjectives.
DF: Yup, just a timeline. That’s the “no-yapping” rule we have around here. We don’t do the yapping. Ain’t got time for all that yapping.
The entire chat is especially candid and Dave Free doesn’t pull any punches but maintains the mystery that seemingly served him well in his career. Check it out as it’s a great read.
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Photo: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis / Getty