6 things to know about Big Freedia, who will perform at Music Tastes Good

LONG BEACH — Big Freedia is many things. According to the New Orleans bounce rapper, she’s a “Queen Diva, the Dick Eater, the Late Night Creeper — ya besta buhleeva.”

However, Big Freedia is also great at coming up with catchphrases that make audiences want to dance. One such phrase is “You already know.” Expect audience rump shaking when Big Freedia performs at this weekend’s Music Tastes Good festival in Long Beach.

However, maybe you’re attending Music Tastes Good and you don’t already know about Big Freedia. If that sounds scary (which it should be because where have you been?), here’s a list of six things to know that’ll make you fit right in with the rest of us shaking our derrieres.

  1. There’s ass everywhere

Or, I should say, “Azz everywhere.” Basically, during this song (and a few others), the emcee will invite audience members on stage to dance. But not just any dance. You see, in order to dance to “Azz Everywhere,” the first thing you need to do, according to the song, is “Bend over/like Freedia told ya.”

Then, naturally, Big Freedia sees “ass over here/ass over there/ass everywhere.” And, before you know it, Big Freedia has everyone on stage bent over with their hands on the ground, asses as high as they can get. If this sounds like the greatest thing you’ve ever seen at a concert, that’s because it is.

  1. If you see Freedia at the bar, run

I say this because Big Freedia readily admits that if she has “that gin in my system/Somebody gonna be my victim.” That said, if you’re going to be a victim, you probably want the perpetrator to be Big Freedia.

  1. Big Freedia, the New Orleans bounce rapper, will have asses shaking in Long Beach on Sunday when she performs at Music Tastes Good. Photo: Courtesy image.

    Big Freedia loves her fans

What? You think I’m writing about Big Freedia because she has a show on the Fuse network and somehow maybe the ink will get me on TV? Like I’m one of these music journalists who doesn’t know his shit? Think again because I’ve been on this Big Freedia bandwagon long before the Queen Diva was on the tele. This is why, in 2013, I attended one of her shows in Orange County. I went with my friend, Gabe, who drove to The Observatory in a 1960 Ford Starliner on Cragars. Don’t ask me what that means because I don’t know. Big Freedia must have, though, because after her performance, she met me and Gabe in the parking lot to take pictures in his whip.

Both of us are huge fans and were pretty much in awe the entire time. And as I sat in the backseat with Big Freedia behind the wheel and Gabe sitting shotgun, a thought occurred to me — “If Freedia is this fan-friendly all because of a car, I wonder what it would take to get Gwen Stefani to go on a date with me?” Two restraining orders later, I can assure you that answer is not hanging out in her driveway with two large vegan pizzas while wearing a T-shirt that reads “Honk if You’re Horny.”

  1. It’s OK to ‘Go Duffy’

If you’re watching Big Freedia and her dancers and you’re all, “Damn, this music is amazing. My body is telling me to get loose, but I’m not quite sure how?” Well, the answer, according to this video, is to find the nearest automobile (it doesn’t matter if it’s moving), jump on top, and shake your ass. Considering that Big Freedia is playing a festival and not the middle of Shoreline Drive, finding a vehicle might be difficult. So, for a quick fix, bend over and shake your cheeks for whomever is standing behind you. My guess? They’ll enjoy it because nothing says “Go Duffy” like a stranger’s backside in your face.

  1. Freedia is deep

Sure, the Queen Diva is all about people who want to “Release your wiggle,” but there’s more to Big Freedia than dancing. For instance, during the spoken-word beginning to her song “Explode,” the emcee says, “My music—it makes me feel good about what I do and the culture that I represent.

“People get confused by if I am ‘he’ or ‘she.’ I am more than just Big Freedia. I am more than just Queen Diva. I am more than just Freddie Ross. I am me. I am the ambassador representing for New Orleans and for bounce music. So many things in my head sometime—it just all makes me want to explode.”  Then, of course, the track explodes and people start to “Release your anger” and “Forget the rest.”

  1. Big Freedia wrote the bounce equivalent to “Stairway to Heaven”

“Excuse,” Big Freedia’s ultimate banger, does to bounce music fans what carrots do to rabbits. Seriously, this isn’t just a great bounce track — it’s one of the best dance songs ever. If I had any money, I’d bet she’ll play this jam Sunday. And, I bet you’ll like it.

About the author

Ryan Ritchie

Ryan Ritchie is a vegan writer who likes to shake what his momma gave him.

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