Mic Drop Moments: Buddy Red

About this episode

The episode features an interview with artist Buddy Red discussing his new single and his journey in the music industry.

I sat down with artist Buddy Red, though he’ll tell you himself that the title “artist” only scratches the surface. We dug into his new single “Soul His Soul”, a track sparked by a powerful conversation with his brother that lit a fire in him to speak boldly about the music industry, authenticity, and his own creative identity. While many first met him as Messiah Harris, son of hip-hop legend T.I. and stepson of Tiny Harris, on their reality show “T.I and Tiny:The Family Hustle”, Buddy Red makes it clear that he isn’t building his brand on anyone’s name but his own. In our conversation, he opens up about what it means to be a rocker raised in a home rooted in R&B and hip-hop, how he carved out space for a sound that didn’t match his surroundings, and how picking up a guitar, and stepping fully into blues, rock, and psychedelic funk helped him find his voice, his purpose, and his freedom of expression. We discussed how he came up with his unique name and why he chose to keep it rooted in family. You can catch Buddy Red as a feature performer at the Folk Alliance in New Orleans and at SXSW in 2026.

People in this episode

Host: Radio Milwaukee

Guest: Buddy Red

Topics covered

• music industry
• authenticity
• creative identity
• rock music
• blues
• psychedelic funk

Keywords

• Buddy Red
• Soul His Soul
• music industry
• authenticity
• rock music
• T.I.
• Tiny Harris
• Folk Alliance
• SXSW

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Folk Alliance, SXSW

Books & works: Soul His Soul

Places: New Orleans