Dave Free facts for kids

David Isaac Friley (born November 13, 1986), known as Dave Free, is an American filmmaker and music producer. He grew up in Inglewood, California. Dave Free is famous for working closely with the rapper Kendrick Lamar. He was Lamar's manager and creative partner.

While he was a co-president at Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), Dave Free directed many music videos and short films for Lamar. They worked together under the name The Little Homies. In 2019, he left TDE and started a new company called pgLang with Kendrick Lamar. Dave Free has won a Grammy Award and three MTV Video Music Awards.

Early Life

David Isaac Friley was born on November 13, 1986. His hometown is Inglewood, California. He is the youngest of three children. Dave Free and rapper Kendrick Lamar became friends in high school.

After high school, Dave Free worked as a computer technician. He also helped Kendrick Lamar start his music career. He used his job to show Lamar's music to Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Tiffith was the founder of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). This led to Lamar signing a music contract with TDE in 2007.

Career

Soon after Lamar joined TDE, Dave Free also joined the company. He became a music producer there. He was part of a hip hop production team called Digi+Phonics. Other members included Sounwave, Willie B, and Tae Beast. They worked on music for the group Black Hippy. This group included Lamar, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul. Their music production was highly praised.

Dave Free also started his business career at TDE. He was the social media director. In 2007, he became a co-president of the label. He worked alongside Terrence "Punch" Henderson. Dave Free then became Kendrick Lamar's manager. He also co-directed many of Lamar's music videos and albums. They worked together as The Little Homies. Their filmmaking won them awards. They won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video. They also won MTV Video Music Awards for Best Hip Hop Video and Video of the Year.

In October 2019, news came out that Dave Free had left TDE. He started working on his own. He also helped rapper Baby Keem gain recognition. Dave Free wanted to get more involved in making films. On March 5, 2020, he and Kendrick Lamar launched pgLang. This is a creative company. Through pgLang, Dave Free has written and directed music videos. He has also directed ad campaigns for brands like Calvin Klein and Converse. In January 2022, Dave Free and Lamar announced a new project. They are producing a comedy film with the creators of South Park. These creators are Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The film is for Paramount Pictures.

Awards and Recognition

Dave Free has received many awards for his work. Here are some of them:

Discography

Dave Free has worked as a producer and creative director on many music projects.