Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told finally has a release date, nearly a year after it was announced that Hulu was set to bring the infamous festival’s story to television. Just in time for spring break, viewers can tune in beginning March 21.
The executive producers of the head-turning project are Jermaine Dupri, Uncle Luke, who is regarded as the Godfather of Freaknik due to much of his raunchy party music serving as a soundtrack for the event, and 21 Savage. The american dream rapper revived the essence of the event when he used it as the theme for his birthday parties in 2021 and 2022.
The streaming service described the documentary as “a celebratory exploration of the boisterous times of Freaknik, an iconic Atlanta street party that drew hundreds of thousands of people in the 80s and 90s, helping put Atlanta on the map culturally… Though it ceased over two decades ago, the infamous legacy still resonates through nostalgia and a new generation’s longing for a care-free platform that celebrates and promotes Black excellence, joy and fortitude.”
Last April, news of the documentary sparked an array of reactions across social media. Some people expressed excitement at the chance to bear witness to Freaknik, while others were left concerned that their images were at risk of being tarnished by resurfaced clips. In particular, “Freaknik Aunties,” women who were present and joyfully engaged in the festivities, became a trending topic as several women attempted to shun any possibility of their wild party days potentially being broadcast to the world.
However, Dupri cleared up misconceptions that the documentary was about exposing people. “My vision of Freaknik is really a story about the South in Atlanta. It’s not really about what everybody keeps talking about,” he said during an appearance on “Tamron Hall Show.” “I think I don’t like that part because I feel like it’s a little disrespectful because I’m just telling a story. I’m telling a story of Atlanta, right, and how Atlanta was built into the place it is today… I can’t say that you won’t see freaking in this video. It is called Freaknik; it is,” he added.
Freaknink was originally a picnic attended by Atlanta HBCUs in the mid-1980s, but it quickly became a larger-than-life festival with dance contests, concerts, parties and more. It peaked in 1994 as controversy and criticisms of an uptick in crime became prominent, signaling its end by 1999.