Table of Biography
Big Freedia is a well-known American rapper, television personality, and performer from the United States. Big Freedia is known for his work in bounce music, a sub-genre of hip-hop.
Early Life
Freddie Ross Jr., professionally known by Big Freedia was born on the 28th of January 1978, in New Orleans, Louisiana, the United States of America. He is an American by his nationality and he is 45 years old at the moment. He practices Christianity religion and has a horoscope of Aquarius. In addition, Freedia belongs to the African-American ethnicity.
Coming to his parents, he is the son of Freedia Ross (father) and Vera Ross (mother). As a child, he learned piano and sang in the choir of the neighborhood Baptist church, “Pressing Onward M.B.C.”
His mother was very supportive of her son’s interests and she exposed him to artists such as Patti LaBelle, and he was also influenced by disco singer Sylvester, Michael Jackson, and Salt-N-Pepa. He grew up with his two siblings a sister named Crystal Ross and a brother named Adam Ross.
Caption: Big Freedia clicking a photo with his mother (Source: Twitter)
Education
Coming toward his academic career, he attended Walter L. Cohen High School, where he continued to perform in the choir and also became the choir director. After this, he realize that he could compose and produce songs. During his childhood days, he was afraid of performing on the stage.
Professional Career
Initially, Big Freedia began his career as a backup dancer and singer for Katey Red shows. In addition, he released his debut single “An Ha, Oh Yeah” in 1999. Similarly, he used to perform bounce music at a club near the Melpomene Projects.
In addition, he moved to Texas for several months when the hurricane hit New Orleans and started performing bounce gigs for locals and helped raise awareness of the genre.
Later, he soon returned to New Orleans and began FEMA Fridays at the nearby club. In addition, he used to perform six to ten times per week while the city was recovering at block parties, nightclubs, strip clubs, and other events.
In the year 2003, he released his debut album, “Queen Diva.” After this, he gained the attention of popular singers like Drake and Beyonce. He got national exposure after a 2009 fest-closing gig with Katey Red and Sissy Nobby at the Bingo Parlour Tent and the 2009 Voodoo Experience.
Caption: Big Freedia performing in a concert (Source: Hattiesburg American)
In 2011, he won the Best Emerging Artist and Best Hip-Hop/Rap Artist by the Beat Awards. He appeared on Beyonce’s 2016 Grammy-winning song “Formation,” and also lent vocals to Drake’s 2018 number-one single “Nice for What.” In the following years, he released several albums including, “Big Freedia Hitz Vol. 1,” “Just Be Free,” and “Scion A/V Presents Big Freedia.”
He earned recognition for his album “3rd Ward Bounce”, which was released in 2018 via Asylum Records. His 2020 tour with Kesha was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the year 2021, he appeared along with other artists on the remix of Rebecca Black’s song “Friday.” Again, he had an appearance on Beyoncé’s track “Break My Soul” in 2022.
Other works
Big Freedia’s emergence in the music industry was chronicled in the highly-rated reality show ‘Big Freedia Bounces Back,’ which aired on Fuse TV from 2011 to 2016. He is currently filming a new series, ‘Big Freedia Means Business,’ which will chronicle Freedia’s triumphs in music, business, and life and will premiere on Fuse in the summer of 2023.
In addition, he has been featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood, Last Call With Carson Daly, P-Valley, and The Real Housewives of Atlanta. He has made a cameo appearance in the drama series “Treme.” In 2020, he also released the documentary “Freedia Got a Gun” which examines gun violence.
He also appeared as a guest judge on season 6 of RuPaul’s Drag All Stars and Nailed It! in the year 2021. Moreover, he also operates an interior design firm with clientele that includes Ray Nagin’s office as mayor of New Orlean. He was also featured on the covers of Vogue and Billboard magazines. Additionally, he also worked as the Met Gala’s official host of the Live Instagram stream.
Awards
Freedia won the 2011 Best Emerging Artist and Best Hip-Hop/Rap Artist by the Beat Awards. In addition, he was twice nominated for Queerty Awards; in 2013 for Twerker of the Year and in 2014 for Rising Diva. He also was nominated for the 2023 Grammy Awards for the Album of the Year category.
Big Freedia – Net Worth 2023
Working in the music industry for over 20 decades, he makes money from his musical career, as well as a television personality. As of 2022, his net worth is estimated at around $4 million while he earns more than $20,000 per year from his many ventures such as album sales, tours, concerts, and others.
Personal Life
Big Freedia is a gay man by his sexuality. Moreover, this rapper seems to be single and unmarried. In past, he and Devon dated for over 14 years and when Devon asked Freedia to marry him, he refused to marry and left him at the altar. In addition, there is no more news regarding his dating history and fully focused on his career.
Legal Issues
In 2016, he was charged with theft of government funds after he neglected to record his income sources between 2010 and 2014 while still receiving Section 8 housing subsidies.
He was found guilty to all charges and was sentenced to three years probation, $35,000 in reparations, and 100 hours of community service. Moreover, the judge approved his request in 2018 to end his probation a year early for good behavior.
Body Measurements
Caption: Big posing for a photo (Source: Orlando Weekly)
This musical artist stands 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs around 72 kg. Moreover, he has dark brown eyes with black hair color and his other body stats are still under review.
Big Freedia – Social Media
On his Instagram page ‘@bigfreedia’ there are over 1.2 million followers. Likewise, there are over 100.8k followers on his Twitter page ‘@bigfreedia’ and over 1 million followers on his Facebook page. He has a self-titled YouTube channel, and there are over 203k subscribers on his YouTube channel.