# Collie Buddz
**Collie Buddz** is the stage name of Colin Patrick Harper (born 1984 in New Orleans, Louisiana), a reggae and dancehall singer, songwriter, and producer who was raised in Bermuda and is best known for the 2006 single "Come Around"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/collie-buddz-mn0000476599) • [2](https://www.liverate.com/artists/collie-buddz). His music combines contemporary reggae with dancehall and hip-hop, and his career has run through both a major-label debut on Sony and a later independent operation built around his own Harper Digital imprint[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/collie-buddz-mn0000476599) • [3](https://riddimsworld.com/artist/collie-buddz/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984, New Orleans, Louisiana; raised in Bermuda from age four[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/collie-buddz-mn0000476599) • [4](https://topshelfmusicmag.com/news/takin-it-easy-with-collie-buddz/) |
| Breakout single | "Come Around," a marijuana anthem that succeeded in Europe and the U.K. before reaching number one on the Jamaican chart[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/collie-buddz-mn0000476599) |
| Debut album | *Collie Buddz*, released July 3, 2007 (44:02, reggae-pop/dancehall); entered the Billboard Reggae Chart at number one[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000482916) • [6](https://thepier.org/review-collie-buddz-playback-ep/) |
| Later albums | *Good Life* (2017, U.S. Reggae chart number one, number 29 Independent Albums), *Hybrid* (2019, self-produced), *Take It Easy* (2023)[7](https://helix-herring-mx9c.squarespace.com/december-2020-5/2020/12/26/collie-buddz) • [8](https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/collie-buddz/news/view/collie-buddz-the-take-it-easy-interview/) |
| Business ventures | Harper Digital record imprint; co-owner of Bermuda radio station Vibe 103 with his brother DJ Smokey[3](https://riddimsworld.com/artist/collie-buddz/) • [9](https://www.bermudasun.bm/news/2013/apr/03/buddz-and-dj-smokey-celebrate-a-year-of-vibe-103-t/) |
| Recognition | Nominated in the Best Reggae Album field at the 67th Grammy Awards[10](https://naras.a.bigcontent.io/v1/static/67thAwards_PressList_11072024) |
## Early life and musical grounding
Buddz was born in New Orleans, but his mother moved the family to Bermuda, where she was from, when he was four years old[4](https://topshelfmusicmag.com/news/takin-it-easy-with-collie-buddz/) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/collie-buddz-mn0000476599). Reggae dominated the island's musical life; he has described Bermuda as one of the first islands to embrace reggae, with sound systems such as Kilimanjaro supplying the session tapes he collected daily after high school[11](https://allhiphop.com/alternatives/collie-buddz-come-around/). His older brother Matthew Harper, known as [DJ Smokey](https://www.edgepedia.org/dj-smokey), introduced him to the music, and by about age 12 Buddz was recording himself singing into a tape deck with headphones plugged into the microphone jack[4](https://topshelfmusicmag.com/news/takin-it-easy-with-collie-buddz/).
**Dubplates and a studio education.** At 16 he began voicing customized dubplates, one-off vinyl singles, for local Bermudian sound systems, an apprenticeship that sharpened his delivery and drew encouragement from the island's soundmen and engineers[12](https://www.worldareggae.com/artists/collie-buddz/). After high school he enrolled at [Full Sail University](https://www.edgepedia.org/full-sail-university) in [Orlando, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/orlando-florida), completing a 13-month Recording Arts course in audio engineering at age 19[13](https://www.reggaeinberlin.com/interviews/collie-buddz-interview-2015). He then returned to Bermuda, where he ran a studio jointly with his brother Smokey and Sneek Success of the sound Newclear Weapon, working as singer, songwriter, producer, and engineer[12](https://www.worldareggae.com/artists/collie-buddz/). In 2003, while following his brother to Canada, he converted a closet into a recording booth and spent his days producing beats and recording himself[13](https://www.reggaeinberlin.com/interviews/collie-buddz-interview-2015).
## "Come Around" and the debut album
"Come Around," a demo recorded with his brother's help, spread in reverse of the usual route for a dancehall single: it blew up in Europe and topped the U.K. chart before reaching Jamaica, and climbed to number one on the Jamaican chart as [Busta Rhymes](https://www.edgepedia.org/busta-rhymes) cut an unauthorized remix that widened its play on American urban radio[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/collie-buddz-mn0000476599). Guest vocals on a remix of Beyoncé's "Ring the Alarm" opened his relationship with Sony, and work with [Lil' Flip](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-flip) on the album *I Need Mine* spread his name further[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/collie-buddz-mn0000476599).
His self-titled debut album arrived on Sony on July 3, 2007, a 44-minute record that moved between the Shakira-flavored "Mamacita," the street track "Defend Your Own" with [Krayzie Bone](https://www.edgepedia.org/krayzie-bone), and the roots number "Let Me Know" produced by Bobby Konders, among other styles[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000482916). It entered the Billboard Reggae Chart at first position and drew nearly unanimous positive reviews in Bermuda; the site DJBooth.net praised "Come Around" as an "absolute monster song" while questioning the album's guest appearances[6](https://thepier.org/review-collie-buddz-playback-ep/) • [14](https://www.royalgazette.com/other/news/article/20070727/collie-buddz-earns-acclaim-for-his-debut-album/). AllMusic's David Jeffries described him as "a more punkish Sean Paul with traces of Anthony B. and Damien Marley," rating the album 80[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000482916) • [15](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/40695-collie-buddz-collie-buddz.php).
## Independent career and later albums
**After Sony.** In 2011 Buddz returned with the seven-track EP *Playback*, made available as a free digital download during the long wait for a follow-up album[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/collie-buddz-mn0000476599) • [16](https://unitedreggae.com/magazine/06/pdf/unitedreggae-magazine-06-HD.pdf). He released the singles "Light It Up" and "Yesterday" with Riff Raff and [Snoop Dogg](https://www.edgepedia.org/snoop-dogg) in 2014 and "Prescription" in 2015[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/collie-buddz-mn0000476599). Over time he moved away from the major-label cycle, releasing through his own Harper Digital imprint; he later told Reggaeville that early on his label declined to push songs he believed would succeed[3](https://riddimsworld.com/artist/collie-buddz/) • [8](https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/collie-buddz/news/view/collie-buddz-the-take-it-easy-interview/).
*Good Life* (2017), his second album and first in a decade, featured guests including Kat Dahlia, Kreesha Turner, P-Lo, [Jody Highroller](https://www.edgepedia.org/riff-raff-rapper) (Riff Raff), and Snoop Dogg, and mixed boom-heavy reggae tracks with hip-hop-reggae hybrids built on choppy drum samples[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/collie-buddz-mn0000476599) • [17](https://www.reggaeville.com/fileadmin/docs/Festiville2017.pdf). It topped the U.S. Billboard Reggae Albums Chart and reached number 29 on the Independent Albums Chart[7](https://helix-herring-mx9c.squarespace.com/december-2020-5/2020/12/26/collie-buddz). Two years later came *Hybrid* (2019), which he self-produced, handling all the instrumentals himself[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/collie-buddz-mn0000476599) • [8](https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/collie-buddz/news/view/collie-buddz-the-take-it-easy-interview/).
*Take It Easy* (2023), his fourth album, was made largely with the producer J-Vibe, whose keyboard work Buddz praised as central to the record's sound; the title track grew out of a band jam in a California studio, with guitar by Ronnie and bass by Roots[8](https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/collie-buddz/news/view/collie-buddz-the-take-it-easy-interview/). He has also issued the *Cali Roots Riddim* series (2020, 2021, 2023), compilations on which different artists perform over one shared riddim[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000482916) • [18](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/1733-collie-buddz/).
## Collaborations and other work
Beyond his own albums, Buddz has appeared widely as a featured artist and writer. He performed on Shaggy's single "Mad Mad World" from the 2007 album *Intoxication*, recorded "SOS" as the entrance theme for WWE wrestler [Kofi Kingston](https://www.edgepedia.org/kofi-kingston) on *WWE The Music, Vol. 8* (2008), and appeared on a 2009 remix of [Kid Cudi](https://www.edgepedia.org/kid-cudi)'s "Day 'n' Nite"[19](https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/collie-buddz). In 2020 he joined Gyptian and Ricky Blaze on "Deh Yah," a record the producer said Gyptian had cut in ten minutes in 2018[20](https://www.dancehallmag.com/2020/09/14/music/gyptian-collie-buddz-ricky-blaze-team-up-for-deh-yah-listen.html). He has also collaborated with Stick Figure, including the 2022 single "Showdown"[21](https://www.jambase.com/band/collie-buddz).
In Bermuda, Buddz and DJ Smokey founded the radio station Vibe 103, which marked its first anniversary in April 2013 with at least five DJs on air daily; Buddz described its aim as offering "another alternative on the radio" and exposing Bermuda to new music[9](https://www.bermudasun.bm/news/2013/apr/03/buddz-and-dj-smokey-celebrate-a-year-of-vibe-103-t/). He was nominated in the Best Reggae Album field at the 67th [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards)[10](https://naras.a.bigcontent.io/v1/static/67thAwards_PressList_11072024). In interviews he has discussed navigating reggae as a white artist from Bermuda, saying he prefers to "let the music talk for itself" in the face of skepticism about what Bermudians know of the genre[22](https://www.ihiphop.com/%E2%80%9Ccollie-buddz-%E2%80%9D/).
His stated influences are [Buju Banton](https://www.edgepedia.org/buju-banton), Beenie Man, Barrington Levy, and Bounty Killer, with dancehall, soca, and the hip-hop carried to Bermuda from nearby New York and Miami shaping his style[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/collie-buddz-mn0000476599) • [22](https://www.ihiphop.com/%E2%80%9Ccollie-buddz-%E2%80%9D/). As a performer, he remains a fixture of the American festival circuit, with 2026 appearances scheduled at California Roots, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and Holidaze Fest alongside acts such as [Dirty Heads](https://www.edgepedia.org/dirty-heads) and [Matisyahu](https://www.edgepedia.org/matisyahu)[23](https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/collie-buddz-5bd637e0.html).
## References
1. [Collie Buddz Biography by David Jeffries, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/collie-buddz-mn0000476599)
2. [Collie Buddz, LiveRate artist page](https://www.liverate.com/artists/collie-buddz)
3. [Collie Buddz Biography & Music Discography, Riddims World](https://riddimsworld.com/artist/collie-buddz/)
4. [Takin' it easy with Collie Buddz, Top Shelf Music](https://topshelfmusicmag.com/news/takin-it-easy-with-collie-buddz/)
5. [Collie Buddz album review by David Jeffries, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000482916)
6. [Review: Collie Buddz – Playback EP, The Pier](https://thepier.org/review-collie-buddz-playback-ep/)
7. [Music reviews – Take Effect, December 2020: Collie Buddz, Good Life](https://helix-herring-mx9c.squarespace.com/december-2020-5/2020/12/26/collie-buddz)
8. [Collie Buddz – The Take It Easy Interview, Reggaeville (2023)](https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/collie-buddz/news/view/collie-buddz-the-take-it-easy-interview/)
9. [Buddz and DJ Smokey celebrate a year of Vibe 103 tunes, Bermuda Sun (April 3, 2013)](https://www.bermudasun.bm/news/2013/apr/03/buddz-and-dj-smokey-celebrate-a-year-of-vibe-103-t/)
10. [67th Grammy Awards Press List, Field 7: Latin, Global, Reggae & New Age, Recording Academy](https://naras.a.bigcontent.io/v1/static/67thAwards_PressList_11072024)
11. [Collie Buddz: Come Around, AllHipHop interview](https://allhiphop.com/alternatives/collie-buddz-come-around/)
12. [Collie Buddz, World A Reggae Entertainment](https://www.worldareggae.com/artists/collie-buddz/)
13. [Collie Buddz Interview 2015, ReggaeInBerlin.de](https://www.reggaeinberlin.com/interviews/collie-buddz-interview-2015)
14. [Collie Buddz earns acclaim for his debut album, The Royal Gazette (July 27, 2007)](https://www.royalgazette.com/other/news/article/20070727/collie-buddz-earns-acclaim-for-his-debut-album/)
15. [Collie Buddz – Collie Buddz, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/40695-collie-buddz-collie-buddz.php)
16. [United Reggae Magazine #5](https://unitedreggae.com/magazine/06/pdf/unitedreggae-magazine-06-HD.pdf)
17. [Festiville 2017, Reggaeville](https://www.reggaeville.com/fileadmin/docs/Festiville2017.pdf)
18. [Collie Buddz Albums, Songs – Discography, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/1733-collie-buddz/)
19. [Collie Buddz Concert & Tour History, Concert Archives](https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/collie-buddz)
20. [Gyptian, Collie Buddz & Ricky Blaze Team Up For 'Deh Yah': Listen, DancehallMag (2020)](https://www.dancehallmag.com/2020/09/14/music/gyptian-collie-buddz-ricky-blaze-team-up-for-deh-yah-listen.html)
21. [Collie Buddz Tickets & 2026-2027 Tour Dates, JamBase](https://www.jambase.com/band/collie-buddz)
22. ["Collie Buddz", iHipHop interview](https://www.ihiphop.com/%E2%80%9Ccollie-buddz-%E2%80%9D/)
23. [Collie Buddz Concert Setlists, setlist.fm](https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/collie-buddz-5bd637e0.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Latin American and Caribbean scenes › Caribbean scenes: dancehall, reggae, soca, kompa, zouk › Artists, groups, and people: Caribbean scenes: dancehall, reggae, soca, kompa, zouk › Reggae and dancehall beyond Jamaica*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license