Brian Vaughn Bradley Jr. (born September 27, 1996), better known by his stage names Astro, Stro, and the Astronomical Kid, is an American rapper, producer and actor. He is 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 producer and label executive L.A. Reid. Astro was the seventh contestant eliminated 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.
Astro | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Brian Vaughn Bradley Jr.[1] |
| Also known as | The Astronomical Kid, C.K.O, Coolest Kid Out, Astro, Stro, Stro the MC |
| Born | September 27, 1996 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, record producer, songwriter, actor |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels |
|
Early life
editAstro was born Brian Vaughn Bradley Jr. on September 27, 1996, in Brooklyn, New York. There, he lived in a single parent household with his Jamaican mother, 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 Mom" 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]
Music career
edit2011–2012: The X Factor USA and Post-X Factor
editAt the age of 14, Bradley went to audition for The X Factor. For his audition, he performed "Stop Looking at My Mom". He gained four yeses and proceeded on to the live shows. In the fourth week, he faced Stacey Francis in the sing-off but survived as Reid, Abdul and Cowell kept him. He got into the top seven before being eliminated.
Performances on The X Factor
editAstro 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 | "Wishing On a Star" (with Tinuke Oyefule, Jennifay Nichols, Lauren Ashley and Tatiana "Reina" Williams) | Jay-Z | Advanced | |
| Bootcamp 3 | Solo performance | Not aired | N/A | Through to judges' houses | |
| Judges' houses | Free choice | "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" | Puff Daddy feat. Mase | 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 judges' vote |
| 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 Mom", released under the name the Astronomical Kid. The music video was released on YouTube.[4]
2013–present: Deadbeats & Lazy Lyrics and Starvin' Like Marvin
editFor most of 2012, Bradley went on a hiatus. When in an interview with Sway, he mentioned that he used this time to find himself, musically.[5] 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."[6]
Acting career
editBradley 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 the FOX series Red Band Society, which premiered on September 17, 2014.[7] Most recently, he played Calvin Walker in See You Yesterday, an afrofuturist take on ways that time travel can change the effects of police brutality. See You Yesterday was produced by Spike Lee and directed by Stefon Bristol, and debuted on Netflix on May 17. 2019.
In June 2019, The Hollywood Reporter stated that Bradley was originally set to play Christopher McKay in HBO's Euphoria, but left the show during filming due to its explicit content and was subsequently replaced with Algee Smith.[8]
Discography
editAlbums
edit- Grade A Frequencies (2017)
- Back On Saratoga (2020)
EPs
edit- The Astronomical Kid - EP (2009)
- Computer Era (2014)
- Nice 2 Meet You, Again (2018)
- Last Friday (2019)
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Album or EP |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Stop Looking at My Mom" | The Astronomical Kid |
| 2014 | "Champion" | Computer Era |
| 2015 | "Mighty Healthy '16" | Mighty Healthy '16 |
| 2017 | "Cut That Sh*t Off" | Cut That Sh*t Off |
| "Apollonia" | Apollonia | |
| "From Me" | Grade A Frequencies | |
| "Aura" | ||
| 2019 | ||
| "I'm Up" | Last Friday | |
| "Mansions" |
Features
edit| Year | Title | Artist | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | CAN | |||
| 2009 | "Hang On" | Sha Stimuli | — | — |
| 2012 | "Want U Back (UK Version)" | Cher Lloyd | 12 | 11 |
| "Ghostin'" | Torion | — | — | |
| 2013 | "Workaholics" | Curtiss King | — | — |
| "Who's Next?" | Shadow the Great | — | — | |
| 2014 | "Out Here Gettin' Money" | Termanology | — | — |
| "Around the World" | Ransom | — | — | |
| 2016 | "Every Damn Dolla" | Ill Neil | — | — |
| "3 Man Weave" | Logan Cage | — | — | |
| "New York Nights" | Taylor Bennet | — | — | |
| 2018 | "Flights" | LNDN DRGS, Jay Worthy | — | — |
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Name | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Earth to Echo | Tucker "Tuck" Simms | |
| A Walk Among the Tombstones | TJ | as Brian 'Astro' Bradley | |
| 2016 | Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk | Lodis | |
| 2019 | Luce | DeShaun Meeks | |
| See You Yesterday | Calvin Walker | as Brian 'Stro' Bradley[9] |
Television
edit| Year | Name | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The X Factor | Himself | Contestant: seventh place |
| 2012 | Person of Interest | Darren McGrady | Episode, "Wolf and Cub" |
| 2014–2015 | Red Band Society | Dash Hosney | Main role |
| 2019 | Bull | Darius Lambert | Episode: "Forfeiture"; as Brian Bradley |
| 2020 | FBI: Most Wanted | Anttwon Perry | Episode: "Caesar"; as Brian Bradley Jr. |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Result | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Won | BET Award | BET Young Stars Award |
References
edit- ^ "THE ASTRONOMICAL KID Trademark of Thompson, Cascia, as parent of Brian Vaughn Bradley Jr., a minor Serial Number: 77281675 :: Trademarkia Trademarks".
- ^ Amos, Candace (October 1, 2011). "Mom of Brooklyn 'X Factor' sensation proud of son". New York Post.
- ^ Johnson, Alice. "Astro's Biography Information from The X Factor USA". Thexfactorusa.com. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ Johnson, Alice. "The Astronomical Kid - Stop Looking at My Moms Music Video". Youtube. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ Astro talks about His New Music, Early Influences and Dating on Sway in the Morning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYuHyPO5-04
- ^ "Dripped up 5 Mixtape Hosted by DJ Dow Jones".
- ^ Red Band Society Website. http://www.fox.com/red-band-society/
- ^ Sandberg, Bryn Elise (12 June 2019). "HBO's Explicit 'Euphoria' Courts Controversy: How Much Teen Sex and Drugs Is Too Much?". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ "Netflix To Distribute Spike Lee-Produced Film 'See You Yesterday'". Deadline Hollywood.