Music fills my soul! So does gymnastics! This is how I met the incredible musical talent of Brad Turner, better known by his artist name Big Hit Buda. In 2012, I attended the London Olympics where the USA Gymnastics Women’s Team brought home the Gold Medal, a worthy accomplishment by team members Gabrielle Douglas, Ali Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Jordyn Wieber, and Kyla Ross. The USA Women earned a total of five medals, three Gold (All Around Gabrielle Douglas, Floor Exercise Ali Raisman, and Team), one Silver (Vault McKayla Maroney), and one Bronze (Balance Beam Ali Raisman). For the USA Men, Danielle Leyva brought home the Bronze in the All Around. My favorite USA Gymnast from the Men’s team, the incredibly talented John Orozco who hails from the South Bronx in New York, finished 8th in the All-Around. It was incredibly inspiring and I was honored and grateful to be there.
Of course I posted about all of this on Twitter. I joined Twitter in October 2009 and immediately started following my favorite gymnasts and musical legends. If you’re paying attention to my tweets, my passion is clear on these two subjects. During the London Olympics, Brad was paying attention and invited me to watch his new music video, “Heart of A Champion”, dedicated to the USA Women’s Gymnastics Team. The power of social media! I can tell you this medium brought me back into the musical fold, and this particular song captured my heart! I should note that many musical Artists have reached out to me on Twitter, in the hopes that I will like their music. Big Hit Buda stands tall against the competition!
Over the past nine years, I have come to appreciate just how difficult it is to create epic musical masterpiece that lifts your soul and gives you the inspiration to take on the world. I grew up loving a wide variety of music, with Classic Rock my mainstay. I think it’s the grit and edge of anthemic melodies sitting squarely on top of electric guitar riffs that simply put, makes everything right in my world!
Big Hit Buda has a rare musical talent, rapping with a Rock&Roll and Soul infused sound, nothing short of WOW! His music takes on timely and relevant societal subject matter, and brings a message of hope and inspiration. His newest project, just released on YouTube, I Matter, confronts the struggles we currently face in our world on matters of equality. The song has purpose and edge, and the lyrics are thoughtful and bold!
What inspires me the most though, and prompted me to feature Brad in this Artist Spotlight post, was the following. Big Hit Buda was born with an abnormal blood vessel in his brain, a venous malformation. A few years ago this condition required surgery, and unfortunately he suffered a complication and developed seizures. He had one while driving his car, which caused him to get in an accident. He was seriously injured and endured a lengthy period of recuperation, including three months in a body cast. I hadn’t heard from him in a while and began to wonder what was going on with his music. I reached out and learned about the accident. He said he wasn’t creating any music at the time, that he was focused on medical treatment. I was naturally upset and prayed for his recovery. Knowing Brad as a person of integrity with a terrific attitude, I was very hopeful.
While we stay connected on Facebook and Messenger, we didn’t speak for a few years. Then one day in September 2018, Brad reached out, with a link to his new video for “I Matter”! He said his health was good and he was once again creating music. I was thrilled and it really got me thinking! I have tremendous faith in God and firmly believe that circumstances alone will never be able to stop someone from putting their gifts out into the world! This is what motivates me every day to never give up! Brad, you are a light in the world and your musical genius will never be silenced!
“I Matter”is a song of hope and inspiration and Big Hit Buda is an amazing Artist! Please check out the video on YouTube here. and I’m sure you will be inspired to subscribe to his YouTube channel.
Big Hit Buda is currently working on his album “Victorious Underdog” so stay tuned for updates on this! The sky is the limit!