Five Wild Revelations from Hulu Freaknik Doc
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As André 3000 famously announced, “The South got something to say.”
That sentiment is on full display in the new Hulu documentary, “Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told.” The film chronicles the rise and fall of the popular Atlanta spring break experience that was a celebration of Black culture in the ‘90s.
When Hulu announced it was doing a film on the event, a lot of Black folks of a certain generation were worried about having embarrassing moments out there for their kids and co-workers to see. While there are definitely men who have some explaining to do, it’s not as controversial as everyone was expecting. There are segments on how things devolved from a fun party to a dangerous event where women weren’t safe. But overall it tells the story of young Black people coming together to celebrate their culture in a city that signified Black joy.
At an hour and 22 minutes, it’s a quick watch, but we’ve saved you some time and have a helpful list of the five most surprising revelations, a.k.a. How to spot a Freaknik veteran?
They Won’t Get Rid of the Camcorder
Freaknik took place long before social media, so the only footage comes from news reports and videos taken on old school camcorders. That’s right kids, once upon a time, you had to carry a video camera on your shoulder and change tapes to keep recording.
In the film, a lot of these videos feature men constantly hitting on women, many of whom are just trying to have fun with their girls. Also, these pickup lines range from cheesy to offensive. Yes, some things never change.
This rule also applies if you have an aunt who seems overly attached to those daisy dukes in the back of her closet.
They Refuse to Use the Word Twerking
We would never deny that twerking is an art form. However, long before it had a name, we just called it booty shaking. If you know someone who is vehemently opposed to the word twerking, it may be because they did their fair share of it during Freaknik.
If you need a primer or examples, there are plenty on display in the film.
They Get Emotional When “Player’s Ball” Comes On
One of the most fascinating stories to come out of the film is that Outkast had its breakthrough thanks to Freaknik. When they were just starting out, the group put all their money into making sample cassette tapes and handed them out in traffic jams. This led to “Player’s Ball” becoming a hit and Outkast becoming the flag bearers of southern hip-hop.
They Have a Deep Dislike of the Olympics
Though the early years of Freaknik were about young people enjoying their freedom and living their best lives, things changed when Atlanta became the host city for the 1996 Olympics. City leadership had to show they could control a large event, deciding that Freaknik would be its test case. Turns out its meddling just made things worse for business owners and visitors. The event never really recovered from the damage done by unnecessary closures, traffic jams and a heightened police presence.
They Have an Irrational Fear of Traffic
No one likes traffic, but sitting on the highway for hours is enough to give anyone a lifelong distaste for the mentally exhausting exercise. In the early days, these traffic jams felt like extra parties. In later years, they were used to shut down the fun and became dangerous for women. Plus, Atlanta residents were basically trapped in their homes while Freaknik was going on.
Freaknik has a well-earned controversial reputation. From the oversexualization of young Black women, to the chaos it brought to the city, to the sexual harassment and assault of women, there were some bad experiences that came out of it. However, the event started as a celebration of Black joy. For several years, it gave young Black people a place to explore themselves and appreciate their culture without judgment.
No matter how many times someone tries to relaunch an event called Freaknik, the feelings of the original can never be recaptured.
“Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told” is now available to stream on Hulu.
