New Orleans bounce musician Big Freedia returns chocked-full of attitude, energy, and feistiness on her electrifying EP, ‘3^rd Ward Bounce.’ 

The Queen of Bounce is back! Who that is? That would be the one-and-only Big Freedia. The 40-year old musician brings the bounce back in a big way on her new EP, 3^rd Ward Bounce (EP).  Big Freedia built buzz for the project with a killer promo single, “Rent” (more on it later).  Safe to say, she kills it throughout the course of the five-song EP, never dropping a dud.

“Karaoke”

“You better drop it, drop it, drop it, now!” “Karaoke,” featuring Lizzo, opens 3^rd Ward Bounce superbly.  The opener features energetic production, led by pummeling drums and simply electrifying, marvelous horns.  Big Freedia drops spirited, unapologetic rhymes – the punch she backs is real.  The aforementioned lyrics appear on the hard-hitting hook.  As for Lizzo, she delivers enthusiastic, fierce vocals on the pre-chorus, asserting, “Touch down on the stage / And you know bitch, I come to play.” Yaaaassss!

The fierceness continues on the slickly produced, turned-up title track “3^rd Ward Bounce.” “3^rd Ward Bounce” features a little bit of everything where sound is concerned.  There’s elements of old-school hip hop, as well as the freshness of contemporary hip-hop.  The bounce is bouncing to say the least.  Big Freedia trades Lizzo for Eric Falls, who shines throughout: “Who wanna sing a line here?” Big Freedia remains on autopilot as she reps for New Orleans. The repetitive moments, coupled with the pounding drums punch you right in the chest – what an adrenaline rush! Perhaps the only minor rub regarding the title track is that it runs long, approaching six-minutes.  Still, the stuff thrown at the listeners is incredibly cool – filled with much more swag than many younger rappers could ever boast about.  

“Bomb”

“Bomb” appears in the middle of the EP, clocking in under three minutes.  While it is quite ‘da bomb’ like the opening duo, it still ‘bounces’ hard.  Among the selling points are the crazy percussion at the onset and of course, the repetitive, high-energy performance by Big Freedia.  The crowning achievement follows in “Rent”, an incredibly energetic record. Big Freedia isn’t playing around, delivering mad attitude throughout the course of “Rent.”  The feistiness she exhibits – the sassiness – is the crowning achievement of the record. A standout example occurs towards the end of the song.

“Bitch I’m your landlord (uh huh uh huh)

Don’t got no remorse (nope nah not at all)

Pack your bags boy (pack ‘em up pack ‘em up)

You don’t live here no more (no more no more).”

The lyrics are a treat, particularly the catchy, sung hook, arguably the centerpiece of the record.

“You don’t pay no rent (no no)

You don’t pay no rent (no no)​

All this time I’ve spent (uh huh uh huh)

Still don’t pay no rent (nope).”

Beyond the lyrics and tongue-in-cheek approach, the production work stands out.  The production is funky, incorporating old-school hip-hop and a dash of rock. While “Rent” is predominantly fueled by old-school elements, it also incorporates the thudding 808s of the new millennium. #Fierce

“Play” concludes 3^rd Ward Bounce, featuring Goldiie. Initially, the closer sounds kinder and gentler, at least the early sung portion by Goldie.   Soon enough, Big Freedia changes the feel, going for the more aggressive, harder sound that has dominated the EP.  There is an nice ‘back and forth’ with aggressive versus more laid back.  This includes the collaborative section between Goldie and Big Freedia, which pulls back before Freedia throws another TKO.

Final Thoughts 

Listening to 3^rd Ward Bounce, there’s no doubt in my mind that Big Freedia is an incredibly underrated artist, period.  Clearly, more people need to embrace her and the aggressive, fun, highly infectious bounce music that she has to offer.  She has a huge personality that shines through all five of the songs, never falling short in the attitude department.  Furthermore, the production is sick on every record.  Yeah, there’s lots of repetition, but, it’s absolutely key to the vibe and overall success of the music.  If you have 18 minutes to spare, check out 3^rd Ward Bounce – you won’t be disappointed.

Gems: “Karaoke,” “3^rd Ward Bounce” & “Rent” 

Big Freedia • 3^rd Ward Bounce (EP) • Asylum Worldwide • Release: 6.1.18

Photo Credit: Asylum Worldwide