Big Freedia

Big Freedia
Big Freedia in 2014
Big Freedia in 2014
Background information
Birth nameFreddie Ross Jr.
Born (1978-01-28) January 28, 1978 (age 46)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.[1]
Genres
OccupationRapper
Years active1999–present
Labels
Websitebigfreedia.com

Freddie Ross Jr.[2] (born January 28, 1978), better known by his stage name Big Freedia (/ˈfriːdə/ FREE-də), is an American rapper and performer known for his work in the New Orleans genre of hip hop called bounce music. Freedia has been credited with helping popularize the genre, which had been largely underground since developing in the early 1990s.[3]

In 2011, he was named Best Emerging Artist and Best Hip-Hop/Rap Artist in January's "Best of the Beat Awards",[4] and was nominated for the 2011 22nd GLAAD Media Awards.[5] In 2013, he got his own reality show on the Fuse Channel, which chronicles his life on tour and at home. On July 7, 2015, he released his autobiography God Save the Queen Diva!. At the end of 2016, Freedia was featured in a local New Orleans television ad for Juan LaFonta Law Office, in which he is shown rapping with bounce music and dancers. In 2018, he released the EP Third Ward Bounce. Freedia was scheduled to go on tour with Kesha in 2020, but it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, he returned to release his second studio album Central City on June 23.

He has collaborated with artists including Beyoncé (who sampled his voice for her song, "Formation" and on her 2022 number-one hit "Break My Soul"), Kesha, Lizzo, Slayyyter, New Kids on the Block, Jordin Sparks, Naughty by Nature, Boyz II Men, Jake Shears, and with Drake on his 2018 number-one hit "Nice for What".

Freedia is a gay man[6] who also embraces his "feminine side";[7] he believes gender is on a spectrum and is ambivalent about pronouns,[7][8][9] stating, "I'm gender nonconforming, fluid, nonbinary. If I had known the 'queen' in Queen Diva would cause so much confusion, I might have called myself the king!"[6]

  1. ^ MacCash, Doug (May 2, 2015). "Big Freedia, the 'Dangerous' diva of New Orleans Jazz Fest 2015". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  2. ^ Hinson, Mark (March 22, 2018). "Big Freedia bounces back into town, so be prepared". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  3. ^ Hutt, John (September 10, 2013). "Big Freedia on Miley Cyrus and 'Transforming One Twerker at a Time'". Out. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  4. ^ "Best Of The Beat 2010 Music Award Winners". Offbeat Magazine. January 29, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference sullivan2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Freedia, Big (September 1, 2020). "Big Freedia: If I Had Known the 'Queen' in Queen Diva Would Cause So Much Confusion, I Might Have Called Myself the King!". The Root. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Hoff was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Douze, Khalila (March 13, 2020). "Big Freedia is Blessed". ssense. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  9. ^ Fensterstock, Alison (October 30, 2018). "Big Freedia is the 21st Century's Ambassador of Freedom". NPR. Retrieved April 18, 2020.