Astro (rapper)

Astro
Birth name Brian Vaughn Bradley, Jr.[1]
Also known as The Astronomical Kid, C.K.O, Coolest Kid Out, Astro, Stro
Born (1996-09-27) September 27, 1996
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genres Hip hop, rap
Occupation(s) Rapper, songwriter, actor
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2006–present
Labels Grade A Tribe
Associated acts L.A. Reid, Roham, Cher Lloyd, Bishop Nehru, Statik Selektah Joey Badass
Website www.gradeatribe.com

Brian Vaughn Bradley, Jr. (born September 27, 1996), better known by his stage name Astro, Stro or The Astronomical Kid, is an American rapper and actor. Mostly known for being a contestant on the first season of The X Factor USA in 2011. Astro took the judges with his original song shot at Simon, for looking at his mom. His mentor was L.A. Reid, the mentor for the boys. Astro was seventh place in the competition. After his appearance on The X Factor, he starred in an episode of Person of Interest. In 2014, he co-starred in the major films Earth to Echo and A Walk Among the Tombstones, and the Fox series Red Band Society.

Early life

Astro was born Brian Bradley on September 27, 1996 in Brooklyn, New York. There, he lived in a single parent household with his Jamaican mother, Cascia Thomspon, and younger sister.[2] He began rapping professionally at the age of ten when his mother promised him studio time if he began to do better in school. He soon released his first single, "Stop Looking at My Moms" and created his first mixtape "B.O.A. (Birth of Astro)." He later started composing instrumentals of his own that pertained to the hip hop music genre.[3]

Some of his musical influences include Marvin Gaye, Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, Biggie Smalls, Boyz II Men, Mary J. Blige, Fu-Schnickens, Tupac Shakur, Nas, and other artists from the 80s and 90's time period. His music is also inspired by the notable film director and fellow Brooklynite Spike Lee.[4]

Music career

2011-2012: The X Factor USA and Post-X Factor

At the age of 14, Astro went to audition for the X-Factor. For his audition, he performed "Stop Looking At My Mom" and stole America's attention by becoming one of the few rappers to perform on such a show. He gained four yeses and proceeded on and into the top seven before getting eliminated.

Performances on The X Factor

Astro performed the following songs on The X Factor:

Show Theme Song Original artist Order Result
Audition Free Choice "Stop Looking at My Mom" Self-written N/A Through to bootcamp
Bootcamp 1 Group performance 1 Advanced
Bootcamp 2 Group performance 2 Advanced
Bootcamp 3 Solo performance Not aired N/A Through to judges' houses
Judges' houses Free choice Advanced
Live show 1 Free choice "Jump" Kris Kross 1 Safe
Live show 2 Free choice "Hip Hop Hooray", "Get Ur Freak On" Naughty by Nature/Missy Elliott 8 Safe
Live show 3 Songs from Movies "Lose Yourself" Eminem 6 Safe
Live show 4 Rock "I'll Be Missing You" Puff Daddy feat. Faith Evans and 112 7 Saved by Simon Cowell
Live show 5 Giving Thanks "Show Me What You Got" Jay-Z 7 Safe
Live show 6 Songs by Michael Jackson "Black or White" Michael Jackson 2 Eliminated

After leaving The X Factor, Astro released his fourth mixtape entitled Loser. It was based around his experiences on the show. He also put out two beat tapes called "Masterminds" and "New World Art" under the alias of Basquiat. The tapes included productions from both him and his friend Laron (a.k.a. ThatLoserLaron) who went under the name of Keith for the tapes.

He was then nominated for a BET Award in the Young Stars category, asked to present an award at the 43rd Annual NAACP Image Award Show with Keke Palmer, and featured in an episode of Person of Interest.

He put out many singles. One of them was "Stop Looking at my Moms", released under the name The Astronomical Kid. The music video was released on YouTube.[5]

2013-present: Deadbeats & Lazy Lyrics and Starvin' Like Marvin

For most of 2012, Astro went on a hiatus for a while. When in an interview with Sway, he mentioned that he used this time to find himself, musically.[6] He returned releasing a song called Deadbeat and another called Methods, then releasing a visual to his song He Fell Off. Those songs were all included on his mixtape Deadbeats & Lazy Lyrics. He made sure to state that the tape would be nothing like what he has done before with a "gritty hip-hop sound that oozed Brooklyn."[7]

Acting career

Stro made his acting debut with his role as Darren McGrady in Person of Interest. He then played Tucker "Tuck" Simms in the sci-fi adventure Earth to Echo, which was released on July 2, 2014, and TJ in A Walk Among the Tombstones, a film with Liam Neeson, released on September 19, 2014. He was Dash Hosney in a FOX series called Red Band Society which premiered on September 17, 2014.[8]

Discography

Mixtapes

EPs

Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions Album
US CAN
2010 "Stop Looking at My Moms" The Astronomical Kid EP
2014 "Champion" Computer Era

Features

Year Title Artist Peak chart positions
US CAN
2009 "Hang On" Sha Stumuli
2012 "Want U Back (UK Version)" Cher Lloyd
2012 "Ghostin'" Torion
2013 "Workaholics" Curtiss King
2013 "Who's Next?" Shadow The Great
2014 "Out Here Gettin' Money" Termanology
2014 "Around the World" Ransom

Music Videos

Year Title Peak chart positions Album
US CAN
2010 "Stop Looking at My Moms" The Astronomical Kid EP
2013 "He Fell Off" Deadbeats & Lazy Lyrics
2013 "Catchin' Wreck" Deadbeats & Lazy Lyrics
2013 "Don't Test Me"
2013 "Yes, I Know My G" Starvin Like Marvin For A Cool J Song
2014 "88" Computer Era
2014 "Champion" Computer Era

Filmography

Films

Year Name Role Notes
2014 Earth to Echo Tucker Simms (Tuck)
2014 A Walk Among the Tombstones TJ
2016 Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Lodis

Television

Year Name Role Notes
2011 The X Factor Himself Contestant, seventh place
2012 Person of Interest Darren McGrady 1 episode, "Wolf and Cub"
2014-2015 Red Band Society Dash Hosney Main Role, 13 episodes

Awards and Nominations

Year Result Award Notes
2012 Won BET Award BET Young Stars Award

References

External links

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