Mic Drop Moments: Buddy Red

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.

HYFINated Conversations