Big Freedia

Big Freedia, born Freddie Ross Jr., is an American rapper, singer, and performer from New Orleans. She is a central figure in bounce music, a New Orleans hip-hop genre that had remained largely underground since the early 1990s. Through her energetic performances and recordings, she has been credited with helping popularize the sound far beyond its local roots.

In 2011, Freedia was named Best Emerging Artist and Best Hip-Hop/Rap Artist at OffBeat’s Best of the Beat Awards, and she received a nomination for the 22nd GLAAD Media Awards. She launched her own reality show on Fuse in 2013, and the following year released her major-label debut album, Just Be Free. Her autobiography, God Save the Queen Diva!, arrived in 2015. She released the EP Third Ward Bounce in 2018. A planned 2020 tour with Kesha was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, she returned with her second studio album, Central City. Freedia’s voice and presence have also appeared in collaborations with Beyoncé (who sampled her for “Formation” and “Break My Soul”), Drake on “Nice for What,” and artists including Kesha, Lizzo, RuPaul, and Charli XCX.

Discography

• Just Be Free (2014)
• A Very Big Freedia Christmas (2016)
• 3rd Ward Bounce (2018)
• Big Freedia’s Smokin Santa Christmas (2020)
• Louder (2020)
• Big Diva Energy (2021)
• Central City (2023)
• Live at The Orpheum Theater (2024)
• Pressing Onward (2025)
• Released At Last (2026)