Freddie Ross Jr(born January 28, 1978), better known by her stage name Big Freedia (/ˈfriːdə/ FREE-də), is an American rapper known for her work in the New Orleans genre of hip hop called bounce music. Freedia has been credited with helping popularize the genre, which was largely underground since developing in the early 1990s. Though Freedia identifies as a gay man, she is ambivalent about pronouns and primarily goes by she/her pronouns.