Isaiah Russell-Bailey: Parents, Age, Movies & TV Roles

Isaiah Russell-Bailey is an actor, dancer and emerging filmmaker best known for playing Shaka McKellan on Netflix’s Family Reunion, Caleb in Disney’s Crater, and Rewind in Netflix’s We Can Be Heroes. His story is also rooted in a creative family: his mother is dancer, choreographer, actress and producer Brittany Perry-Russell, and his father is rapper Chingy, whose legal name is Howard Earl Bailey Jr. The family connection drew widespread new attention in September 2026 after Chingy discussed his children on The Jason Lee Show.

Isaiah Russell-Bailey Quick Facts

Who Are Isaiah Russell-Bailey’s Parents?

Isaiah Russell-Bailey is Chingy’s son. His father is Howard Earl Bailey Jr., better known professionally as the St. Louis rapper Chingy, and his mother is dancer, choreographer, actress and producer Brittany Perry-Russell. Isaiah was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised in Los Angeles, where he grew up around his mother’s sets and rehearsals.

Chingy had publicly identified Isaiah as his son by 2023. During a Hot 104.1/Audacy interview that year, he referred to Shaka from Netflix’s Family Reunion as his son and mentioned Isaiah’s starring role in Disney’s Crater. The relationship drew much wider public attention on September 2, 2026, when Chingy again discussed his children during an appearance on The Jason Lee Show.

Dance Mogul’s connection to this story goes back further than the current news cycle. In 2020, we interviewed Brittany and Isaiah together about family, dance, entertainment, social media and the work required to build a career. Read the original Dance Mogul exclusive: Brittany Perry Russell & Isaiah Russell Bailey | The Ultimate Mother & Son Entertainment Duo.

Acting Career: From Television Guest Roles to Leading Crater

Russell-Bailey’s screen career began in 2018. Early appearances included Criminal Minds, Giants, Raven’s Home and S.W.A.T.. His breakout came with Netflix’s Family Reunion, where he played Shaka McKellan. Credit listings place him in 35 episodes from 2019 through 2021; the Netflix series itself continued into a fifth part in 2022.

In 2020, he played Rewind in Robert Rodriguez’s We Can Be Heroes. His mother, Brittany Perry-Russell, appeared in the same film as Red Lightning Fury. Their casting made them the first real-life mother and son duo to play superheroes together in a feature film, a milestone they discussed in interviews around the film’s release.

In 2023, Isaiah took on his first major feature lead as Caleb in Disney’s science-fiction coming-of-age film Crater. In a BET interview tied to the film, he described ambitions that extend beyond acting: producing, directing and eventually building projects through his own production company, IB Entertainment.

Selected Movies and TV Shows

Dance, Parkour and Physical Performance

Dance is not a side note in Isaiah’s career. He grew up watching his mother work as a professional dancer and developed interests in breakdancing, movement and parkour. Those skills became part of his screen identity and helped prepare him for stunt-heavy and action-oriented roles.

In interviews around Crater, Russell-Bailey also described wanting to work across the filmmaking process rather than staying only in front of the camera. He has spoken about directing, producing, writing, editing and film scoring, making his long-term goal closer to a multi-hyphenate creative career than a conventional acting path.

The Mother-Son Creative Legacy

Brittany Perry-Russell is more than a parent in Isaiah’s professional story. She is a working dancer, choreographer, actress and producer whose sets and rehearsal rooms were part of his early education. They later became co-stars, dance partners and content collaborators.

Their 2020 Dance Mogul interview captured that relationship before Isaiah’s lead role in Crater and years before the 2026 attention around his father. Brittany described social media as a creative outlet that allowed the pair to spend time together, build choreography and connect with audiences while continuing to work on their craft.

From the DMM Archive: The 2020 Mother-Son Interview

Read the complete original interview: Brittany Perry Russell & Isaiah Russell Bailey | The Ultimate Mother & Son Entertainment Duo.

Frequently Asked Questions About Isaiah Russell-Bailey

Last editorial verification: September 4, 2026. Dance Mogul Magazine will update this profile as new verified career information becomes available.