When Big Freedia began getting booked on the rock club circuit outside of New Orleans a few years ago, her then largely white, hip-focused audience lacked a specific context for the aggressively glitchy lo-fi electronic music she rapped over—never mind the fact that it was a six-foot-tall, regally poised black person of indeterminate gender who was doing the rapping. To those in the know, there was legitimate concern that her new fan base might have been motivated by the novelty of the latter aspects, but Freedia's powerful, indelible charisma nonetheless transformed rooms full of normally staid indie rockers into a mob of sweaty, ass-shaking maniacs. With a seemingly never-ending series of tour dates and a reality show now entering its second season, it’s clear that Freedia's natural star power, rather than any identity-based quirks, drive her popularity. She’s teetering on the brink of reaching a mainstream audience, and Just Be Free is her attempt to bring her music to that level.
Freedia’s earlier material possessed a redlined sonic aesthetic that matched its manic energy, resembling a drum machine on the verge of a speed-driven breakdown through a maxed-out PA. Its raw, frenetic charge was a good match for her outsider status, but as they’ve charted a course for crossover success, she and longtime producer BlaqNmilD have changed their approach appropriately. With help from producer Thomas McElroy (Madonna, En Vogue), they’ve reworked Freedia’s trademark sound to make it cleaner, fuller, more nuanced, and more befitting a pop diva.
Much of Just Be Free is aimed squarely at an EDM audience that so far has somehow eluded Freedia, despite the fact that bounce has steadily grown in that world's presence—largely thanks to Diplo and Nicky Da B's “Express Yourself”. “Turn Da Beat Up” expands Freedia’s sonic vocabulary to include Prodigy-style breakbeats, precipitous bass drops, blatting low brass, and a four-on-the-floor breakdown that invokes both house music and arena-rock. “Dangerous” is festooned with filter sweeps, dubsteppy synth bubbles, and sub bass tuned for a large-scale sound systems. “Lift Dat Leg Up” has the epically scaled melody suited for the apex of a big-room DJ set. Most notably, the album’s lead single “Explode” is a riot of overclocked drum machines and Freedia’s joyously hollered commands to lose yourself in her music. Just the idea of hearing it in a DJ set is enough to make you sweat.
As much as Just Be Free is intended to facilitate Freedia’s big break, it doesn’t neglect the fans who’ve followed her up to this point. While she makes some big strides here as an artist, she’s also made sure to keep one foot planted firmly in the style that some of us consider nearly perfect.
