Karlie Redd

**Karlie Redd** (born April 15, 1974) is and American hip-hop artist, eye candy/glamour model and actress who has appeared as a cast regular on the VH1 network TV series *Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta* since the program's inception in 2012.

## About Karlie

Karlie (sometimes reported as "Keisha") Lewis was born in New York City to a Trinidadian mother and African–American father. Redd's birthday is April 15, though her age and year of her birth is debated, with reports from Redd and others suggesting her birth year is between 1978–1981. Redd spent her childhood between Trinidad and New York City until returning to New York permanently at age 12. For education, Redd attended The Harlem School of the Arts and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Redd is a college graduate.

## Career

In 2001, Karlie was cast in the movie *Black Spring Break 2* where she was credited as Keisha "Karlie" Lewis. In 2010, Redd was in the VH1 reality show *Scream Queens*. In 2012 she was cast in the spin-off VH1 reality show, *Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta*. Redd has dated hip hop artists Benzino and Yung Joc on the show. According to an analysis done by a language analytics company, Redd's appearances on the fifth season of the show garnered 16% of all emotional reactions about the show collected from social media data, with the largest share of them being negative.

Redd's first role in a box office film was in the Chris Rock movie *Top Five* in 2014. She currently plays a recurring role on the soap opera *Saints and Sinners*, which appears on Bounce TV.

In July 2012, Redd released her debut single, "A Girl Has Needs," on iTunes. In October 2018, she announced an upcoming musical project called "Karlie Ferrari" which may be released as an EP.

### Business ventures

In the summer of 2012, Redd launched the Redd Remy Hairline. She opened a women's clothing store called Merci Boutique in 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia.

### Age controversy

Redd's birthday is April 15, though her age is debated. Her year of birth is estimated to be between 1978–1981. In 2012, Redd stated that she is "in her twenties" but would not reveal any exact details: "I tell my age." Her age has been disputed by *Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta* co-star K. Michelle and Redd's ex-boyfriend and fellow co-star Benzino, Yung Joc, Scrapp DeLeon, Lyfe Jennings and Ceaser from Black Ink Crew, who have said she is older than she claims. Redd has an adult daughter, Jasmine, who was in college in 2015 and has appeared on *Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta*.

In a 2015 Playboy Plus spread, Redd listed her age as 37, which would put her birth year at 1978.

On May 20, 2019, in an interview with *The Real*, Redd stated her age to be 45.

### Love & Hip Hop franchise

Karlie is introduced on *Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta* as an aspiring rapper, singer and recording artist, hoping to collaborate with Stevie J. She quickly gains a reputation among the cast for being "messy" and allegedly lying about her age. Her rivalry with K. Michelle is the focus of the first two seasons, during which she released "Bring It", a diss track aimed at Michelle. The two later reconcile their differences. Subsequent seasons chronicle her various business ventures, as an soap opera actress, boutique store owner, record label executive, Playboy model, morning radio host and sexologist.

### Romantic life

Karlie's chaotic love life has become one of the show's leading storylines and she has been romantically linked with many of the show's male cast members, including Benzino, Yung Joc, Scrapp DeLeon, Lyfe Jennings and Sean Garrett. In season six, Karlie briefly dates tattoo artist Ceaser Emanuel, their relationship serving as a crossover with fellow VH1 reality show Black Ink Crew. In season eight, she announces her engagement to trucking mogul Arkansas Mo.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 McCluskey, Audrey T. (1 January 2007). Frame by Frame III: A Filmography of the African Diasporan Image, 1994-2004. Indiana University Press.
2. ↑ Karlie Redd.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "How Old Is Karlie Redd From ‘Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta’?", *International Business Times*, 2018-04-15.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Karlie Redd's Real Age Is One Of The Great American Mysteries", *VH1 News*.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Karlie Redd On Her Nude ‘Playboy’ Shoot And Her Real Age, 37", *The Inquisitr*, 2015-09-02. (in en-US)
6. ↑ Karlie Redd... Who? « The Heat Magazine. Theheatmag.com (2011-09-23). Retrieved on 2012-09-13.
7. ↑ Karlie Redd | Love & Hip Hop Atlanta. VH1. Retrieved on 2012-09-13.
8. ↑ "Karlie Redd’s Adult Daughter Jasmine Makes Debut on Love & Hip Hop", *Wetpaint*, 2015-08-18. (in en-US)
9. ↑ Black Spring Break 2: The Sequel (27 August 2001).
10. ↑ Benzino & Yung Joc talk 'Love & Hip Hop Atlanta,' returning May 5. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved on 23 November 2018.
11. ↑ See How Kunta Kinte, Howie Mandel, Karlie Redd Got TV Viewers All Worked Up. The Wrap. Retrieved on 23 November 2018.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Source Exclusive Interview With Karlie Redd. The Source. Retrieved on 22 November 2018.
13. ↑ Moclassified. Source Exclusive: Karlie Redd Talks Collaborating With Sean Garrett, New Music, and Her Career Goals. The Source. Retrieved on 22 November 2018.
14. ↑ ‘Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta’ star Karlie Redd opens about the haters who think she doesn’t have what it takes to be a boss. The Grio. Retrieved on 22 November 2018.
15. ↑ Love and Hip-Hop ATL's Karlie Redd Launches REDD Remy Hair Line. PRLog (2012-07-01). Retrieved on 2012-08-09.
16. ↑ Karlie Redd continues to claim she is in her twenties!. Allvoices.com (2012-08-29). Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Retrieved on 2012-09-13.
17. ↑ Nsenduluka, Benge (2012-08-28). 'Love & Hip Hop' Reunion Show Recap (VIDEO). *Christian Post*. Retrieved on 2012-09-13.
18. ↑ Benzino Dishes On Fling With Karlie Redd, Her Age And If Stevie J Is Really A Pimp!. *Theybf.com* (2012-08-23). Retrieved on 2012-09-13.
19. ↑ Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta’s Karlie Redd Confesses to Her Real Age. Retrieved on 20 May 2019.

## External links

* Karlie at Love and Hip Hop Fandom
* Karlie Redd article at *Wikipedia*
* Karlie Redd links at FreeOnes
* Karlie Redd at Babepedia