Big Freedia (pronounced "Freeda") is the stage name of Freddie Ross, an American musician known for work in the New Orleans genre of hip hop called bounce music. He has been credited with helping popularize the genre, which was largely underground since developing in the early 1990s,He started his career around 1999 performing in New Orleans, and released the studio album Queen Diva in 2003, He first gained mainstream exposure in 2009, and his 2010 album Big Freedia Hitz Vol, 1 was re-released on Scion A/V in March 2011, as well as a number of music videos,He has been featured in publications such as The Village Voice and The New York Times, and has performed on Last Call with Carson Daly, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and at SXSW, where he received a positive review from Rolling Stone. In 2011 he was named Best Emerging Artist and Best Hip-Hop/Rap Artist in January's "Best of the Beat Awards," and was nominated for the 2011 22nd GLAAD Media Awards