His dad is a rap icon. But he’ll breathe the blues at Atlanta Jazz Festival.

As a teenager, Buddy Red had one goal: to produce for J. Cole or Kendrick Lamar. It was a lofty dream, especially considering he didn’t have a plan for attaining it.

Yes, Red (whose real name is Messiah Harris) is the eldest son of Atlanta rap pioneer T.I. And, yes, he’s one of six siblings in the city’s most popular musical dynasty. But he always felt stuck in a creative rut — never fully sure of his ambitions because he wasn’t too sure of himself.

Now, after a roughly eight-year creative breakthrough, Red has found a lane that many, not even himself, would’ve expected: that of a blues-rock musician. So far, it’s sticking, as he’s performed multiple shows across the country over the past year. On Saturday, Red will make his Atlanta Jazz Festival debut, kicking off the three-day event. He plans to release a debut project later this year.

“I never would have anticipated it,” the 26-year-old said about his success.

‘What am I doing?’

Buddy Red is one of several local acts performing at this year's Atlanta Jazz Festival, an opportunity Red didn't see coming. (Isaiah Harper)

It didn’t take long for Red to realize that his dream of producing for his favorite rappers might not happen. In fact, meeting one of them made that a reality.

In 2019, his dad introduced him to J. Cole, who was hosting a writer’s camp at Tree Sound Studios in Norcross (for his compilation album “Revenge of the Dreamers III”). Red saw that as his chance to play music for his idol.

“That doesn’t happen,” Red said dejectedly. “In fact, (J. Cole) tells me, ‘Now’s not the time to play music. What you need to do is just sit and absorb everything: talk to producers, meet people.’”

Further, Red admits he “made the mistake of comparing my experience to my brother’s.” Rapper Domani, Red’s younger brother, also attended the camp and played music for J. Cole.

“Well, what am I doing?” Red recalled thinking at the time. “I’m obviously missing something like, I didn’t know what to do from there. I didn’t know if I should keep making music and keep pursuing that dream.”

That uncertainty thrust Red into a depression, exacerbated by coming-of-age anxieties. He had just graduated from Luella High School in Locust Grove and entered Georgia State University, where he studied business administration.

But, like his knack for making beats, he didn’t know what to do with that, either.

“I was preventing myself from succeeding by being locked in my own head and overthinking, and I felt crazy because of that,” Red said. “My pops is a plan-oriented person, so I think, subconsciously, if I felt like I didn’t have a plan, then I felt like I had to come up with one.”

Red got a creative spark after watching the 2018 Oscar-winning film “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which follows the British rock band Queen and its frontman Freddie Mercury.

Enamored by Mercury’s resilience, Red felt like he was called to follow a rock-and-roll journey, with a little bit of blues and a little bit of soul.

“He was a bit of an oddball,” Red said of Mercury. “And I always felt like an oddball too. And so in my mind, I think if he can do something like that, then I could do something that’s just even remotely close to what he’s doing.”

So, he picked up a guitar, chose his stage name — an amalgamation of names of his paternal grandfather (Buddy) and his maternal uncle (Red) — and studied as many rock legends as he could, including David Bowie and Led Zeppelin.

He’d perform short sets at Northside Tavern and Smith’s Olde Bar, even busking around the Beltline and Little Five Points. While in college, he dropped a few singles like 2022’s “Insanity” and “When I Dream.” The following year, he released his most popular song, “1958.” The track takes a page from the flair of Jimi Hendrix and George Clinton, both sultry and soulful.

Still, he yearned for his own tribe.

“The hardest part was finding people in the rock & roll world that see what I’m doing and offer their services to improve what I’m doing, because nobody in my family or nobody around me is doing what I’m doing,” said Red, who grew up listening to Rick Astley and Alphaville.

Carving a lane

“The hardest part was finding people in the rock & roll world that see what I’m doing and offer their services to improve what I’m doing," says Red. (Quadir Thomas)

That was until he met Fiona Bloom, who took him on as a client last July. The Atlanta-based publicist has over 30 years of experience representing artists across blues, soul and rock. Red’s management team (including Thuy-An Julien and Ryan Fionda) hired her.

Though Bloom admits she didn’t “rush to meet” Red initially, she knew his music had potential. She was also captivated by his personality.

“He’s got an old soul,” Bloom said. “He goes straight to the crates and pulls out a Louis Armstrong or a Duke Ellington or a Bobby Rush.”

Since the pair met, Red has performed roughly 30 shows to date, including sets at SXSW in Texas and, most recently, “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”

“Before, I was driving everywhere just to get on stage for 15 minutes and then get right back off,” Red said. “Those were the only times that I had to really hone that performance muscle, and it never felt like enough time. But now, I get on stage for 30 to 45 minutes, and I’m getting more comfortable up there, doing my tricks and stuff that I learned.”

A few years ago, Craig M. Garrett noticed Red’s talent via social media. Garrett, through his company Next Level Events, is in charge of booking and artist management for the Atlanta Jazz Festival. He thought Red would be a good fit for the event, which features headliners The Roots, PJ Morton and Kamasi Washington.

Garrett ran into Red’s father at an Outkast-themed skating event last year, and made the connection then.

“I think he has a unique and raw sound that’s developing and coming into its own, and you can see the growth of this young man and where he’s going with his music, and I think that will be really appealing to people.”

His addition to the lineup helped him achieve the clarity he needed that he was on the right path. Before, Red said he often felt pressure to follow the paths of his siblings and parents.

Most of the world was introduced to T.I.'s blended family on the VH1 reality series "T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle," which aired from 2011-2017. Top (from left): Domani Harris, Zonnique Pullins, Deyjah Harris and Messiah Harris. Bottom (from left) :Major Harris, King Harris, Tameka "Tiny" Harris and T.I.)

Outside of T.I., Red’s musical lineage includes stepmom Tameka “Tiny” Harris, one-third of R&B Xscape and a Grammy-winning songwriter; older sister Zonnique Pullins, one-third of R&B group OMG Girlz; younger brothers and rappers Domani and King Harris; and younger sister/singer Heiress Harris, who, at 10 yearsold, already has a handful of songs under her belt.

“I had a lot of examples around me of people that were dead set on what they wanted to do, and when I looked at what they were doing, I didn’t feel a pull in any direction. I didn’t want to rap, I didn’t want to be a singer or R&B singer.”

Case in point? When his father and younger brothers engaged in a rap beef against 50 Cent earlier this year, many online speculated whether Red would also chime in.

“Nah, it’s not what I’m about it do....I wanna do my own thing,” Red scoffed.

As for T.I., he’s just happy his son found his own path.