Bounce music icon Big Freedia has spoken regarding her appearance on Drake’s new track.
The Queen Diva spoke with The Fader about when she received the call from Drake’s people about appearing on “Nice for What.” She says she was down as soon as she heard the news.
“They reached out to my team and they wanted me to be a part of the project," she said. "Once they told me, I was like, 'You gotta be kidding me.' I was super excited about my voice being at the beginning of the song. They sent the track for me to approve it and I was like, 'S**t, I don't care what I say on it, long as I'm on it.'"
Freedia appears on the track with fellow bounce artist 5th Ward Weebie, and the beat was produced by BlaqNMild. She believes this helps bounce music make its way into the mainstream.
“We're steady moving forward to get the bounce culture even further out there and, as you can see, other artists are recognizing our music and our talent down here in New Orleans," she said. "One day we might get our category at these awards or on the charts. I've worked tremendously hard to make things happen for New Orleans culture. I just want us to get the proper recognition and the proper credit that we deserve."
This is Big Freedia’s second time appearing on a mainstream banger. Her voice was featured in Beyonce’s 2016 hit "Formation," and she made an appearance when the Formation Tour hit New Orleans.
While this is a big opportunity for Freedia, fans have been critical because she didn’t appear in the music video for “Nice for What.” She also wasn’t in the "Formation" video but believes this will change as bounce gets more popular.
“That's when I say the proper recognition and the proper credit," Freedia said. "You know, my voice be on a lot of different stuff and people want to use bounce music as a part of their music but when it comes to the proper recognition of me being in the video, that's something that we're steady working towards to make it happen. The credits are important but, for me, it's still putting New Orleans on the map and I'm happy with the check."
