BIG Freedia is bouncing back onto the music scene once again with a new track with Lil Wayne and his boyfriend.
The highly anticipated tune, “El Niño”, will drop on June, 23 in honor of Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
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Who is Big Freedia?
Aside from her collaborations with Beyoncé and Kesha, Big Freedia is well-known for popularizing the “Bounce” subcategory of rap music.
On her latest collaboration with Lil Wayne, Freedia said: “El Niño is about going hard in any storms that come in your life and conquering them!
“It’s one of my favorite songs on this record, it features my longtime collaborator Boyfriend, and it’s also my first collab with Lil Wayne, who I’ve wanted to work with for a long time.
“We put it down for our city, and this song is gonna have everyone blowin down!”
The upcoming track is her fourth single from album Central City, which has been released from her label Queen Diva.
Born on January 28, 1978, Freddie Ross Jr is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana, who goes by the stage name Big Freedia.
In 2003, she released her first mixtape titled Queen Diva.
Freedia went on to release two more mixtapes before distributing her first studio album.
On June 16, 2014, the rapper’s debut record Just Be Free was made available to listeners everywhere.
Freedia’s musical sound is characteristic of the New Orleans-based hip-hop subgenre named bounce music, which she helped pioneer.
From October 2013 to November 2017, she was the star of her own Fuse reality television show, Big Freedia Bounces Back.
Regarding her rise to fame, Freedia told Billboard: “People wanted me to bring a sense of home to all of the different places that people were displaced at.
“People were really into the music and were like, ‘What kind of music is that?’
“‘Oh my god, I like that music, teach me how to bounce!’ And so it just really got all over after [Hurricane] Katrina.”
What are Big Freedia’s most popular songs?
Since 2010, Big Freedia’s rap career has seen her drop bangers with high-profile A-Listers.
Some of her most successful and popular songs include, $100 Bill featuring Ciara.
In 2018, she released a single with Lizzo, Karaoke which went viral.
The rapper has also featured on Slayyyter’s hit Stupid Boy.
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Meanwhile, her song Duffy is one of the most watched Big Freedia videos on YouTube.
Plus, her iconic collaboration with RuPaul for Peanut Butter also became a hit.
Who has Big Freedia collaborated with on music?
For two separate collaborations, Beyoncé teamed up with Big Freedia on two hit singles by the former.
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On June 20, 2022, Freedia lent her vocals to another Beyoncé song – Break My Soul, which is the lead single off of her seventh album Renaissance.
Beyoncé’s Big Freedia-assisted hit Break My Soul reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Prior to the track soaring in popularity, Freedia has seen success from her previous guest appearances.
In April 2018, Drake teamed up with her for one of his biggest songs, Nice For What.
The rapper was also featured on tracks by Kesha, Charli XCX, Jon Batiste, Sia, and Diplo.
Is Big Freedia dating?
Big Freedia was in a long term relationship for just over a decade with boyfriend, Devon.
The pair’s relationship went through many public ups and downs since meeting in 2017.
At the time, the rapper told WNYC Studios: “When your love grows for somebody and y’all get closer you wanna… feel more appreciated, and you wanna feel loved.”
This came after she dated men who were not willing to publicise their relationship, before meeting Devon.
The couple decided to get married in New Orleans but things took a turn for the worse.
Big Freedia became a runaway bride and left Devon standing alone at the alter.
She said: “I could not do this”, on the phone as she stormed out.
“I didn’t go through with the wedding at the chapel since I still have so much hanging over my head”, she said afterwards.
The chaotic scene was recorded for the rapper’s former reality show, Big Freedia Bounces Back.
Despite cancelling the wedding, the 45-year-old said she would still marry Devon in the future, at a bigger ceremony, once her legal battles had been sorted out.
It appears the couple are still together.
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