PREVIEW: Big Freedia in the UK

New Orleans sensation Big Freedia (THE QUEEN DIVA) is in the UK for three days to bring Bounce music, a booty-centric, crowd involving style of rap music. Having collaborated with gay icon Ru-Paul on the track ‘Peanut Butter’ (“Must be jelly caus jam don’t shake”) and starred in her own reality TV show, Freedia is at the forefront of the Bounce rap movement (a subgenre of hip-hop born out of New Orleans and known for its call and response style and lightening speed booty-shaking dance). A product of the hip-hop generation, Freedia was rocking RUN DMC, Salt ‘n Pepa and Adidas Shell Tops as a teenager. Performing with dancers she calls The Divas, Big Freedia’s show is nothing short of dazzling.

Though gay and proud, Big Freedia asserts that her sexuality has little to do with her music and rejects the term Sissy Bounce (the queer brand of Bounce). “All Bounce is Bounce,” she insists. “There’s no need to separate it out. All types of people—gay, straight, rich, poor, black, white come to my shows. People just wanna get out and shake their azzzz and have a good time!” And therein lies the beauty of Big Freedia: She can rock a pair of dangling gold earrings and light up a blunt and chop it up with the hardest rapper around. She’s not a gay artist, but rather an artist who happens to be gay. Not to be missed.

Big Freedia plays Oslo, London (30 Mar), The Haunt, Brighton (31 Mar) and Thekla, Bristol (1 Apr). Info on tickets here

Georgia Richardson
@georgebosssin

Georgia Richardson

Georgia Richardson

Generation Y Mancunian human, dwelling in Brighton. Fan of Bloody Marys, Twin Peaks and MCFC OK.