Since releasing her studio debut, Queen Diva, in 2003, New Orleans’ Big Freedia—born Freddie Ross—continues to soar into legendary status. Four albums and dozens of hits later, she’s been instrumental in defining the hip-hop subgenre of bounce music. Backed by energetic and uptempo beats made for twerking, Freedia’s brand of bounce is filled with catchphrases like “girl down,”“you already knowwww,” and “release your wiggle!” Freedia identifies as a gay man (and is engaged to be married), but she answers to feminine pronouns and often presents a femme appearance with wigs, makeup, and jewelry.
After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, Freedia was one of the first artists to start working again. She’ll release her forthcoming album later this year, but for now you can watch the docu-series Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce on Fuse (seriously, so good) and see her react to that life-changing call from Beyoncé to add those New Orleans-flavored bars to the Lemonade track “Formation.”