Brother Bradford: A Brother’s Joint
Back at y’all with another banger! Another great piece to end the summer and start the fall to showcase more dope talent. I also imagine that this is what this particular Brother says to himself whenever he releases new music. This Brother and I had a much deeper connection through his music. Similar ear for sounds, similar favorite female legendary R&B artist and his inspiration coming from 90’s New York hip hop were our main conversations. More than just another social media follower but a really great talented, cool, and laid back brother and artist coming from the South. Born on October 23rd, Christopher Bradford aka Brother Bradford comes from South Alexandria all the way in Louisiana. Around the time his birthday comes is when he releases music the most as he came to an epiphany about it during our talk before this piece was written about him. You sometimes don’t realize your own greatness and tendencies of how you do things until you sit down with someone and have those conversations. Well, this Brother and I have had plenty of conversations surrounding music but let’s get into the story of greatness. “I grew up on the south side but my ma provided everything we needed and alot of wants. I actually played outside as a kid, we tapped out, climbed fences, trees, ate mulberries straight from the tree, bust liquor bottles in the alley with rocks to practice aim, chrome capping, ding dong ditch, members only clubhouses, my childhood was dope!” Sounds like a dope upbringing indeed! Makes me feel like I was there too! Very wholesome and sounds like that kinda fun that puts you to sleep after hours of being out all day. A true countryside way of living. Also sounds like something you see in movies or read in books. It’s the perfect way to start off a story about a great talent. Let’s keep going shall we! The Brother continues with his musical roots, passed down from his mother. “My ma is a singer, who sang in a band in her younger years, my cousin the Mel-Man, influenced me to produced my own sound.” He continues, “I grew up around music lovers, lived next door to a disc jockey as a kid, older cousins who LOVED music, and to see them react to music made me want to make people react that same way when hearing my songs. The internet gave me my start, pre-MySpace but around the same time.” They’re not lying when they say you are a reflection of your environment. Having a music career that started during MySpace days was over a decade ago. A whole other time that’s pretty ancient by now but still remembered by those who took their Top friend’s lists seriously as well as coding & customizing their personal pages and of course, the music. Today, Brother has accomplished releasing dope music. He says, “I have a single out right now exclusive to YouTube called ‘Brother’s Joint’, new long player ‘BB3’ is coming Halloween.” I’m personally excited to hear what he has coming out in a month. His previous stuff had me going back to it over and over again, which is rare because I’m extremely picky about music. This Brother is truly a special artist, a special person indeed. In his best country deep accent, when I asked him if he has any regrets he replied “No regrets coyote!” Years from now, he also says, “I see myself at the art department of some label/imprint focusing on artwork new comers and legends alike! Maybe running my own vinyl pressing plant to distribute music for local artists at a tangible price.” Great aspirations for this Brother. Such an amazing artist and friend. More like your distant older cousin from the South who comes from a completely different world than you but wholeheartedly understands you and loves you for exactly who you are. Like sitting or laying in the grass under the clear blue sky just vibing. His energy is amazing. If you want to know more about Brother Bradford, you can follow him on Instagram @iambrotherbradford.
Written by Jalen Hemphill