Buddy Red inherited musical genes from his father, T.I., but the up-and-coming rock and blues star is paving his own path in the industry. Hip Hop fans were first introduced to the 25-year-old, whose real name is Messiah Harris, over a decade ago as one of seven kids belonging to the King of the South and his wife, Xscape singer Tiny, on their reality TV show, “T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle.”
But a lot has changed in the 10+ years that have passed, such as the obvious, his name, and the fact that the young artist is venturing out of his dad’s shadow. In a new interview for “Portia,” hosted by veteran Atlanta journalist Portia Bruner, he revealed his foray into music began as a novice producer. “You can be behind the spotlight and make a beat for the person in the spotlight,” he said of the allure of being behind the scenes. However, a shift happened in the most unexpected way, as he picked up a guitar for the first time at the age of 18.
He explained, “I felt like I should be doing something bigger, and [while] down in the dumps, I went to the movies one day and I saw this movie called Bohemian Rhapsody — the movie about Queen and Freddie Mercury. When I saw that movie, I didn’t even know what it was about, but once the music began and I discovered for myself classic rock and roll, I forgot all about producing for the most part, and I said, ‘I want to be on the stage, and I want to do that.’”
Instead of boasting about his out-of-the-box genre explorations to T.I., he mastered some skills and proved that he had found something to be passionate about. And there is no doubt if the three-time Grammy Award winner is proud of his eldest son. When he spoke with GAFollowers earlier this month, he shared high praise that the guitarist has something unique to offer the world. “Buddy Red, I’mma give him a 10 ‘cause it ain’t nothin’ else like him out there, you know what I’m saying,” he said when asked to rank his son’s music on a scale of 1 to 10. “He kinda, like, doing his own, like, ain’t no comparisons. I have no comps, you know what I’m saying,” the lyricist added.
As for his stage moniker, Buddy previously had this to say on an Instagram Live: “My music is kind of from another time, I’ll say, so number one, I wanted to have a name that represented that, and so Buddy is my father’s father’s name, and Red, my Uncle Red, is from my mother’s side of the family. So, I wanted to kind of, you know, bridge the gap a little bit with my music and my persona.”
Bruner would agree as she picked up on the influence another iconic rocker likely had on the future superstar. “You’re totally, even though you look a lot, obviously, like your father, you’re giving me mega Jimi Hendrix vibes, and there’s kind of a sound there too,” she said. Despite having a similar aesthetic and artistic likeness, Buddy revealed that his first inspirations were legendary rock band Queen and then blues statesmen like Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. As for the “Purple Haze” artist, he said the music was beyond his understanding until he heard Hendrix’s famous riffs and take on the blues.
Buddy Red is definitely a vibe with star power destined to shine brighter.