In 2020, Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free announced the genesis of their PgLang media company.  Two years later, after Lamar announced his forthcoming departure from his home label TDE, the Los Angeles rapper and Dave Free have announced the latest signee to their multi-media label, Tanna Leone.

“We’re excited to welcome Tanna Leone and pgLang to the Def Jam family as valued partners,” Def Jam’s new CEO Tunji Balogun said in a statement. “I’m lucky to have been able to connect with Kendrick and Dave during the early stages of my career as friends and collaborators, and I’m thrilled to be able to extend that relationship here at Def Jam. Tanna is a dynamic and multi-talented new voice and we’re honored to be a part of his development and success.”

Accompanying the news, the 23-year-old artist shared two new singles, “Lucky” and “With the Villains,” the latter of which comes with a music video.

Tanna Leone joins a roster that includes just Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem, with the latter releasing his debut album The Melodic Blue through pgLang in September 2021 in partnership with Columbia Records.

“When pgLang launched, I knew that’s where my home was,” Tanna Leone said in a statement. “It’s an honor to join my brothers on this journey of shaping the future of media and entertainment. As an artist I want to represent disrupting the status quo, push people to focus on their growth as a human, and to be a voice for the voiceless through my artistry.”

Leone is currently an opening act on Keem’s North American tour, which kicked off on March 7 in Cincinnati, and will see them on the road until April 18 in San Francisco. They’ll also play Coachella on April 22.

What do you think about Kendrick Lamar’s newest protege, Tanna Leone? Stay tuned for more on this and other hip-hop news.