2009–2015: Career beginnings and signing to I Am Other As a teenager, Buddy began recording his own material. In 2009, he got a break when TV music supervisor Scott Vener showed
Pharrell Williams an early effort by the 15-year-old Buddy. Impressed, Pharrell began to work with the teenager, and signed him to his
I Am Other creative collective and record label. When Buddy was 18, he released the song "Awesome Awesome", produced by
The Neptunes and Pharrell made an appearance in the video. On March 28, 2012, he released the single "Staircases" produced by Pharrell and featuring
Kendrick Lamar. In 2014, continuing to work with Pharrell, Buddy released his debut mixtape,
Idle Time, which featured Kendrick Lamar,
Miley Cyrus,
Freddie Gibbs,
Robin Thicke,
Sir Michael Rocks, and others, with production from Pharrell Williams,
Chuck Inglish,
Boi-1da,
Cardo, Blaq, and Polyester, among others. He then embarked on a series of collaborations with various artists, including
Nipsey Hussle,
BJ The Chicago Kid,
Chance the Rapper,
Wiz Khalifa, and
ASAP Rocky.
2016–17: Ocean & Montana and Magnolia In November 2016, Buddy released "Shine", produced by
Mike & Keys along with
DJ Khalil. It was premiered by
hip-hop and
R&B tastemaker Carl Chery, along with a music video directed by
Andy Hines and featuring a cameo from Nipsey Hussle. The song garnered over 2.7 million streams on
Spotify, 12 million on
Apple Music, and over 2 million views on
YouTube. Buddy described the single as "a ghetto hymn acknowledging inevitable death while showing gratitude for abundant life." On August 17, he released his second
EP,
Magnolia, which included features from
Boogie, Wiz Khalifa, and
Kent Jamz. Buddy's EP
Ocean & Montana, produced by
Kaytranada, was released May 19, 2017, by Cool Lil Company, and features the single "Find Me". The EP's title refers to the intersection in
Santa Monica where he lived, sought inspiration, and began collaborating with Kaytranada after leaving his parents' home.
2018–2021: Harlan & Alondra Buddy released his debut full-length album,
Harlan & Alondra, through Cool Lil Company and
RCA Records on July 20, 2018. It includes the singles "Black" featuring
ASAP Ferg, "Trouble on Central", "Hey Up There" featuring
Ty Dolla Sign, and "Trippin'" featuring
Khalid. He stated that his aim was "to paint a well-rounded portrait of my home city",
Los Angeles. In spring 2018, Buddy joined
Joey Badass on the Amerikkkana Tour. His summer 2018 tour with A$AP Ferg included performances at Chicago's
Lollapalooza festival. On April 17, 2020, he released a collaboration album with Kent Jamz, titled
Janktape Vol. 1.
2022–present: Superghetto, ''Don't Forget To Breathe'', and acting Buddy released his second full-length album,
Superghetto, on March 25, 2022. He released a deluxe version of the album later that year. During an interview on
Apple Music 1, he stated the album was "about the essence [of] growing up in the hood".
Mic described the album as "a record that uses its brevity to keep the listener on their heels, that successfully manages to feel as if it's constantly molting and evolving until it cuts off". On March 28, 2024, Buddy released his third studio album, ''Don't Forget to Breathe
, via the independent Empire Distribution label. Uproxx'' noted his decision to leave RCA and release the album independently, highlighting a few lines from the album's opening track "Free My Mind" that follows: "I was super ghetto at first / Redefined myself, left the label, bettered my worth / I could sign myself". On 28 March 2025, he was featured on fellow
West Coast rapper
YG's song "2004", along with the Gang. On 3 June 2025, Buddy was announced as part of the cast of the upcoming
spin-off television series for
Snowfall (2017–2023), set to make his acting debut. ==Discography==