Big Freedia Brings Bounce to A Ready Atlanta

As Big Freedia proclaimed “ASS EVERYWHERE! ASS EVERYWHERE!” just about all of The EARL was liberated to shake their ass. It wasn’t because of the city’s home to historic Freaknik (not that most of the folks in there were past attendees), and it wasn’t because Freedia taught them to “buss’ it” for her during her classes the day of the show. It was because they had it and needed liberation from the Queen of Bounce music.

Only one opener was needed for this show, as this group brings their own bag of bootyshaking goodies. Noot d’ Noot sparked the flame, starting off slow then building up this hodgepodge of boogie, funk and space age electronic set that had folks equally in a trance and loose for Big Freedia’s Bounce music.

While old school/new school funk has always been a popular secret of Southern music, Bounce is something that the South’s been hiding for a long time, specifically Louisiana. Most people – especially northerners like myself – used to clump it with Miami Bass, the So So Def sound of the 90s and early crunk music. However, Bounce music was exclusive to people familiar with those three sounds but shared the backgrounds of all New Orleans’ hoods. Fortunately, after much buzz from every hipster-oriented medium you can think of, plus The New York Times, a current frontier of Bounce music is sharing this gift with the world – the gift of bouncing derrieres senselessly, c/o Big Freedia.

With all that said, it was heir-apparent that Atlanta’s prime hood chicks shake it at The EARL, but there were other dominant backgrounds in attendance. While there was no shortage of bootylicious women, there were men of all sexual backgrounds who felt it was their God-given right to shake their booties too. Big Freedia allowed it. Besides, who is she to really to grant/deny someone simply because of their gender as she is an out gay male rapper anyway?

Sure, some readers may look at this and think the night should belong under a particular 2DopeBoyz category but in some cases trash becomes treasure. As I looked around – ass indeed everywhere, weaves fiery against The EARL light, men and women giving their all to “buss’ it” for Freedia – I noticed no one felt obliged to do it, no one was out there choosing and no one committed any blatant sex acts on the dancefloor. Mysogyny was absent and in its place was an emerging physical freedom. Folk knew what it was when the show started – Bounce touched down in the A and everyone was cleared to participate.