The biggest outdoor party documented since the days of hip hop block parties in 1970s New York is making headlines once again. Hip hop trailblazer Luther Campbell, better known as Uncle Luke, super producer Jermaine Dupri, and Gen Z’s iconic rapper 21 Savage teamed up together to bring the masses Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told.
The synopsis reads, “Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told 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.”
An attempt to revive Freaknik as a day-long concert occurred in 2019, before making a comeback as the renamed street festival F.R.E.A.K. World, with the mantra Fearlessly Reliving & Embracing Atlanta’s Kulture.
The event was supposed to take place in summer 2020, but ultimately was affected by the shutdown and isolation mandates of that epic year, moving its date to Sept. 2020 and then Oct. 2021. But the revamped version of the block party became more like a hugely controlled, commercial money grab for music artists in the vein of festivals SXSW and Rolling Loud, instead of an open space, free-spirited gathering in appreciation of R&B, hip hop, and dance.
The original Freaknik of the 80s and 90s started off as a spring break party bringing together the HBCUs of Atlanta. The annual event gained popularity as up-and-coming music artists, iconic rappers, and people across the world attended the youthful celebration.
Eventually, the intentions of Freaknik morphed into a more sinister occasion for criminals looking to prey on college students. In 1998 alone, Freaknik reported an attendance of 50,000 people, along with 481 arrests, 45 felonies, six assault cases, four rapes, and four shootings, according to an earlier report from The MouthSoap.
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In a 2023 Tamron Hall interview, Jermaine Dupri defended the documentary from rumors of exposing attendees, “My vision of Freaknik is really about the story of Atlanta… I’m just telling a story of Atlanta and how it was built into the place that it is today. People came to Atlanta through Freaknik and they stayed.”
A production from Mass Appeal in association with Swirl Films, the documentary features commentary by former ATL Mayor Kasim Reed, Lil Jon, Killer Mike, Too $hort, Jalen Rose, Erick Sermon, Rasheeda, Marc Lamont Hill, CeeLo Green, Freaknik co-founders Amadi Boon and Sharon Toomer, and many others.
In addition to Uncle Luke, 21 Savage, and Jermaine Dupri, executive producers include P. Frank Williams, Geraldine L. Porras, Terry “TR” Ross, Melissa Cooper, Alex Avant, and Tresa Sanders.
Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told premieres during Spring Break, March 21 on Hulu. Watch the official trailer below:
