Big Freedia bounces onto the music scene (Created March 20, 2013)

Media outlets have thrown around labels like 'Gender-Bender' and 'Gay Rapper,' but what you need to know about Big Freedia (pronounced "FREE-da") begins in bars, night clubs and the multitude of venues where an infectious energy and the presence of the artist go hand-in-hand. Her performance is the rhythm, and the result a sexually charged response that gets a crowd moving in a way you probably never thought possible.

So who is Big Freedia and what is Bounce music, exactly? Neither of these queries is easy to answer, until you see this combination in person. Freedia, the stage name of Freddie Ross, burst onto the scene in the cultural cornucopia that is New Orleans, bringing with her a variant of hip-hop music that entices women of all shapes and sizes to fold their body in half and bounce their hips as fast as humanely possible. In a word – bounce.

The spotlight found Freedia in 1999 as she started her career performing in clubs and venues all over the 'Big Easy.' Mainstream exposure quickly followed, thanks in part to songs like "An Ha, Oh Yeah," "Rock Around the Clock" and "Gin 'N My System." She released her first studio album, "Queen Diva," in 2003, and became a symbol and representative of gays and lesbians all over the world. Since then she has been a mainstay of the bounce scene, often performing with Katey Red and Sissy Nobby.

Big Freedia has appeared on HBO's "Treme," a drama following residents of New Orleans as they try to rebuild after Katrina. Her performance at SXSW in 2012 also drew rave reviews, and there's no doubt she'll be bouncing into a club near you in the very near future!