Kendrick Lamar’s pgLang Debuts New Phone
After years of being rare in the public eye and staying quiet on social media, Kendrick Lamar is setting the foundations of his creative agency, pgLang which recently partnered with a Tech company to make a phone with no distraction.
Certainly known for his outstanding lyricism and his amazing Grammy-award winning albums, Kendrick Lamar has easily positioned himself as one of the GOATs of the rap game. Through his creative agency pgLang, founded in 2020 with his childhood friend Dave Free, the artist expanded his creative vision to more disciplines. From collaborating with fashion brands such as Calvin Klein and Converse to producing short films and music videos, the agency has shown a lot of versatility. Recently, pgLang started a new venture in the tech world and partnered with Tech company Light to design a limited edition of a “dumb” phone called Light Phone 2. What makes this so cool and special? We’ll delve into the philosophy behind this minimalist anti-smartphone and look into the cultural impacts it could have.
With the rise of smartphones, social media and communication over the Internet since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, the world feels like a giant noisy room, segmented in multiple smaller pieces, each one representing different communities, topics and interests. Smartphones made the information accessible everywhere which makes communication, learning, and working more convenient and on the go. However, these small screens can cause us to be distracted, overwhelmed by information and decrease attention span.
In certain tracks off of Kendrick’s latest album, Mr. Morales and the Big Steppers, the rapper expresses a certain discontent regarding social media, and smartphones in particular. Prior to his album release in 2022, he mentioned that he goes months without a phone. Furthermore, his absence on social media and his rarity in the public eye during the 5 years preceding the release, can be interpreted as a will to protect his soul, creativity and authenticity. This spiritual retreat is also mentioned in his song “Rich Spirit”, in which he implies he broke his phone and that he’d never live his life on a computer. In “Savior” he added he was protecting his soul in “the valley of silence”.
The collaboration between pgLang and Light on the Light Phone 2 makes perfect sense and totally aligns with the album’s creative direction and rollout. This device represents a significant step forward into digital minimalism as it is branded as “Just a phone.” In fact, it only has basic features such as calls, messages, alarms, notes, and music—just the essentials. There is no way to add apps or browse the internet, meaning no social media, no comparisons, and more silence. It's a great alternative for people who want to unplug from a world full of notifications and mass media consumption.
Compared to the regular Light Phone 2, the pgLang edition has a special feature called “Language,” a tool inviting users to ask a question by shaking the device, which acts as a magic 8-ball and gives an answer. The phone costs 299 USD and is currently out of stock, with a total of 250 units sold.
What sets this phone apart is its paperlike screen which uses e-ink (electronic paper), the same technology used in e-readers. Its particularities are that it makes the device drastically less addictive, helps improve focus and concentration, and reduces eye strain. Furthermore, it can improve your sleep which results in better brain functions and an improved state of mind.
In the culture, we have already seen other prominent artists, such as Kanye West, embark on a journey of digital minimalism to reduce distractions. Kanye needed to distance himself from modern technology and the media to produce one of his best pieces of work ever created, 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.' During the making of the album, the rapper spent over six months in Hawaii working on music and set rules for himself and his crew, resembling those of a digital minimalist. The goal was to create the ultimate space for focus, creativity, and purity. The rules forbade the use of Twitter, blogs, and stressed the importance of silence, avoiding annoying sounds from computer and phone notifications.
Through these examples, we can observe that people need to take a break from modern technology at times for the sake of their mental health and to be more intentional with how they use tech. Modern technology has unlocked unlimited possibilities for the world to connect, play, and create. According to articles published on the National Post and CNBC, there has been a growing interest in Gen Z populations (under 27) to turn to dumb phones and flip phones in 2023 to cut distractions and limit screen time. With more artists embracing digital minimalism, the same way Kendrick Lamar did, it could encourage the culture to be more intentional with their usage of technology.
With modern technology always advancing rapidly, its convenience doesn’t come without any setbacks. The increase in screen time and the quantity of information and distractions has skyrocketed over the years, causing the most prominent artists to protect their minds from the overwhelming mental stress that platforms, apps, and notifications put on our brains.
Kendrick’s pgLang puts digital minimalism forward through this collaboration. The questions for you are: Would you trade your smartphone for a dumb phone? Do we need these never-ending notifications and endless-scrolling apps to fill our boredom? Are there other ways to conquer our fear of missing out?
