Killer Mike, Too $hort and many more key players in Hip Hop culture are featured in a new documentary about one of Atlanta’s most iconic events from back in the day.
On Thursday (February 29), Hulu shared the trailer for Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told. Executive produced by Uncle Luke, Jermaine Dupri and 21 Savage, the film explores what Lil Jon calls “the greatest Black gathering in America.” In the clip, professor and author Marc Lamont Hill also refers to the once annual event as “the entry point into the Black cultural experience.”
According to its synopsis, the movie “is a celebratory exploration of the boisterous times of Freaknik, the iconic Atlanta street party that drew hundreds of thousands of people in the 80s and 90s, helping put Atlanta on the map culturally. What began as a Black college cookout, soon became known for lurid tales of highway hookups and legendary late-night parties that ultimately led to the festival’s downfall.
“At its height, Freaknik was a traffic stopping, city-shuttering, juggernaut that has since become a cult classic. Rooted deep in its history of Civil Rights, thriving Black leadership, and focus on the uplifting of Black culture and education, Atlanta became the only place a festival like this could grow and thrive.”
In addition to those mentioned above, Erick Sermon, Jalen Rose and CeeLo Green are also featured in the doc, which is set to go live on March 21.
Check out the preview below:
Last year, JD made an appearance on the Tamron Hall Show and addressed concerns surrounding the project, namely people worrying that their pasts might be unwillingly revealed on it.
“I want to say this to all of those people out there,” The So So Def founder explained. “My vision of Freaknik is really a story about the South and Atlanta. It’s not really a story about what everybody keeps talking about.
He continued: “I don’t like that part because I feel like it’s a little disrespectful because I’m just telling a story of Atlanta, right? And how Atlanta was built into the place that it is today.
“People came to Atlanta through Freaknik and they stayed. I say that in ‘Welcome to Atlanta.’ And that’s how Atlanta has become this multi-cultural, multi-city place. Freaknik plays one of the biggest roles in that period.
“I can’t say that you won’t see freaking in the movie. It is called Freaknik. It is what it is. Because it’s the 40th anniversary of Freaknik, it’s the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop and it’s the 30th anniversary of So So Def. So it’s all tied in together.”
