Though Bounce music may not be a household genre outside of its native Louisiana, its influence has had a major influence on the current Pop music landscape. If you listened to Hip Hop radio for any length of time in 2018, it’s almost certain you’re familiar with Drake’s inescapable smash hit “Nice For What,” which recontextualized Bounce’s syncopated club percussion and call-and-response refrains into a breezy slice of R&B.
Catchy as Drake’s songwriting may be, it’s the jarring chant that punctuates his silky hooks and caption-worthy wordplay that demands your attention — the in-your-face voice of Bounce figurehead Big Freedia, whose declaration that “these hoes / they mad” could start an impromptu dance party among even the stuffiest crowd.
The Drake feature might have represented a breakthrough into the mainstream for Freedia, but her career and influence have spanned the past two decades. She debuted in New Orleans’ club scene in 1999, inspired by drag queen and emcee Katey Red.
Her early tracks like “Gin in My System” have an almost Industrial quality, built around tinny drum machine beats and chopped-up vocals that sound like they’ve been barked into a bullhorn. Big Freedia’s presence became almost mythical after her prolific post-Katrina presence helped rebuild venues around New Orleans, playing multiple shows per night.
As twerking became a part of the pop culture vernacular and the EDM festival circuit began to morph into a billion-dollar industry in the early 2010s, Freedia’s music began to garner national relevance and critical acclaim. She played well-received South By Southwest sets, was interpolated by Lil Wayne, and toured with The Postal Service in 2013, all building up to a 2016 feature on Beyoncé’s “Formation”.
Though COVID-19 interrupted plans to tour with Kesha in 2020, Big Freedia has managed to score a number high-profile collaborations since “Nice for What,” starring on Charli XCX’s epic posse cut “Shake It,” Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Reimagined, and the Space Jam: A New Legacy soundtrack with an endearingly ridiculous verse that name-drops the majority of the Looney Tunes cast. It’s completely bonkers, but in Big Freedia’s sonic universe, anything less than over-the-top just simply isn’t on brand.
Big Freedia performs at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21, at Bogart’s. Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test from the prior 72 hours is required.
Watch “Goin’ Looney” from Space Jam: A New Legacy below.
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This article appears in Sep 15-28, 2021.