In a blaze of anticipation, the documentary Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told stormed into SXSW, submerging viewers in the vibrant history of Atlanta’s iconic street revelry. Guided by entertainment industry giants such as Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, Jermaine Dupri, 21 Savage, Terry “TR” Ross, Melissa Cooper, Alex Avant, Tresa Sanders, Geraldine L. Porras, Jay Allen, the film, meticulously fashioned by Mass Appeal and Swirl Films, unraveled the intricate layers of Freaknik’s cultural impact.
This celebratory tribute to Atlanta’s spirited past, unveiled during the March 12th screening at SXSW, emerged as a focal point for attendees eager to immerse themselves in the festival’s untamed narratives and cultural resonance. From its modest origins as a Black college cookout to its evolution into a city-stopping phenomenon, Freaknik’s odyssey through the ’80s and ’90s etched an enduring legacy on Atlanta’s cultural canvas.
In a mesmerizing display of Atlanta’s cultural artistry, Mass Appeal, in collaboration with Hulu, orchestrated a stunning showcase at STUBBS BBQ on March 13th, transporting viewers to the very epicenter of ATL’s most legendary event.
Hosted by Dupri and Uncle Luke, the showcase featured electrifying performances by some of Atlanta’s most iconic artists, including Big Boi, Flo Milli, Ying Yang Twins, 21 Lil Harold, DJ Drama, KP The Great, DJ Jelly, and a slew of other stars. It was an evening steeped in nostalgia, a joyous tribute to the essence of Freaknik and its enduring impact on the rich tapestry of hip-hop in the southern capital.
“I just want people to pay attention to the teaching and how instrumental and how far ahead thinking that the city of Atlanta itself was in hosting something like Freaknik.” – Jermaine Dupri
When the P. Frank Williams-directed documentary made its grand premiere on March 21st on Hulu, audiences across the nation were beckoned to immerse themselves in the untold narrative of Freaknik—a saga brimming with joy, fortitude, and Black excellence.
With appearances from a line-up of influential figures such as 21 Savage, Lil Jon, Killer Mike, CeeLo Green, Too $hort, Kenny Burns, Rasheeda, Jalen Rose, Shanti Das, Marc Lamont Hill, Sharon Toomer, Tony Towns, Amadi Boone, and a host of others, the film offers a unique glimpse into Freaknik’s enduring legacy while acknowledging its intricate layers. From its very origins to its far-reaching cultural impact, Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told encapsulates the spirit of a phenomenon that continues to captivate hearts and minds, serving as a powerful reminder of the potency of celebration, community, and cultural resilience.
We had the opportunity to have a candid conversation with Jermaine Dupri about the intricacies of the Freaknik doc and Atlanta’s profound influence on the world of hip-hop.
Jermaine Dupri (Disney/Frank Micelotta)
Jermaine Dupri Talks Freaknik
HipHopCanada: Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told dives into the rich history of a cultural phenomenon that put Atlanta on the map. What inspired you to tell this story, and why do you think it’s important for audiences today?
Jermaine Dupri: Well, one reason it’s important is because the South has always been treated like a stepchild in hip-hop, right? And so therefore, Hollywood and a lot of other things and places where LA and New York got their credit, they got their flowers, Atlanta missed that type of stuff. So, like, the only southern story, and I’m not even going to say Atlanta, the South, period. I think, you know, the only southern story that talks about the truth of the culture. This is what that is.
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We don’t really have a story that actually tells you if you’re not from Atlanta. If you didn’t, you know, even, like, you being in Canada, you’re not seeing Freaknik and not being able to go to Freaknik. This is the first story that takes you into the depths of why Atlanta is what Atlanta is in the music, as far as, you know, the attraction to Atlanta, how people got their words in my songs that people from other countries might not even understand why I was saying this, just a bunch of things. I’m saying I did this story because I’m sure it fills a lot of pieces of the puzzle that people were probably asking questions about.
HipHopCanada: As one of the executive producers of the documentary, what challenges did you face in capturing the essence of Freaknik while balancing its celebratory aspects with its more controversial elements?
Jermaine Dupri: Just really, trying to make sure that you could feel, actually feel what I felt or what Luke felt through the screen. I mean, it’s very hard and just trying to like show what we could possibly show to give you a true understanding of this.
HipHopCanada: Freaknik was not just a party, but a cultural movement rooted in Atlanta’s history of Black excellence and empowerment. How did you ensure that the documentary accurately portrays the festival’s significance in shaping Atlanta’s cultural landscape?
Jermaine Dupri: We just needed to make sure we had talked to the right people, had enough conversations. And between myself and Luke, I feel like, you know, Luke was there before I was there. So, he covered a lot of conversations, a lot of behind-the-scenes information. And then, once they got me involved, I gave a lot of information that wasn’t spoken about. I’m not speaking about, but just talking to the director and everyone involved about things that we need to get and put into this documentary.
Disney/Frank Micelotta
HipHopCanada: The documentary features a star-studded lineup of appearances, including 21 Savage, Lil Jon, and Killer Mike. Can you share any memorable moments or insights from working with these influential figures in hip-hop and Atlanta culture?
Jermaine Dupri: I will say this, you know, Killer Mike is a very interesting guy to be a part of this because he’s younger than me. He also came into the game. He tells me that Kris Kross was his entry point, right? So to see him be so young and be so well versed with information and almost like a historian, I felt like that was a, you know, I just sat down, listened to him, and I could sit there and listen to him talk about Atlanta and hip-hop, period, because he sums it up in one of the best ways I’ve ever heard.
HipHopCanada: With Freaknik being such a beloved yet controversial event, were there any individuals or groups hesitant to participate in the documentary? How did you navigate those conversations and ultimately secure their involvement?
Jermaine Dupri: Not really, I think a lot of people were scared that we were trying to make a documentary that was just going to exploit women and show women being freaks as almost like, what they hear in music right now. Right. That’s, I guess that’s what, I guess that’s what people’s fear was but like I said, my mentality and my intentions on this was always to bring, you know, bring closure to the stories that people have not seen, but they’ve heard.
And so initially, I believe it was people that didn’t want to be a part of it. But then, you know, as they saw it and they saw that we was taking it all the way, you know, we got a deal with Hulu, Disney, and people saw the involvement of who was involved with this. I think that changed.
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HipHopCanada: The film acknowledges the complexities introduced by Freaknik into the social fabric of Atlanta. Can you elaborate on some of these complexities and how they continue to influence the city and its residents today?
Jermaine Dupri: Yeah, I mean, I think like, the fact that, you know, people came to Atlanta through Freaknik, right? The southern explosion of music. People took our music from Freaknik and took it back to where they weren’t playing southern music. And these kids were explaining to those that didn’t go, “man, Freaknik It was crazy.” “They was playing this song down there.” “They doing this.” “I seen this.” So, the discovery of Atlanta and the buildout of Atlanta owes a lot to Freaknik. Freaknik was the beginning of a lot that you see in this city today.
Jay Allen, Nikki Byles, Jermaine Dupri, Unkle Luke and Eric Tomosunas (Disney/Frank Micelotta)
HipHopCanada: Our last question for you is, Freaknik holds a special place in the hearts of many, especially those who experienced it firsthand. What message or legacy do you hope viewers take away from the documentary, particularly those who may not be familiar with the festival’s history and impact?
Jermaine Dupri: I hope that people just take away the fact that, when I say that, it’s a heavy, rich culture in the south, period, but it’s a very, very rich culture in Atlanta. And Atlanta didn’t just pop up on the map in the music business the way that some might think we did. Atlanta was built, and it was built through Freaknik. It was built through things like Freaknik and people coming to see us. And it was built in a city that supported the buildout, like, in order to have Freaknik the way Freaknik was, the city supported kids coming to this city and having fun. It got out of control, and that’s what made-the-city basically lock down.
But the beginning of Freaknik being in the streets and people riding around and going everywhere, the city fully supported that. And I just think that that in itself is a teaching that other cities, you know, should possibly have. It wasn’t like, you know, I know some people think that Atlanta’s a very racist city, and this, that, and third, but they let 150,000 black kids come to the city and just really just do whatever they wanted to do, and nobody bothered them as long as they weren’t doing anything that was breaking the law. And I don’t know that you could.
Well, you definitely can’t do that today. But I don’t know how many other cities you could do that in when this was happening. You know that many black people congested in one spot scares people and makes people think differently. So, I just want people to pay attention to the teaching and how instrumental and how far ahead thinking that the city of Atlanta itself was in hosting something like Freaknik.
Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told is now streaming on Hulu in the US and on Disney+ in Canada.
Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told (Hulu)
Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told (Hulu)
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