Have you ever wondered what the net worth of Big Freedia is? The American rapper and performer sure have a remarkable career that is still going on to this day!
Big Freedia is known for being one of the greatest pioneers of “bounce music”, a genre of hip-hop music that was originally developed in the 1990s in New Orleans.
As of May 2023, Big Freedia has a net worth of around $4 million. If you want to know more about Big Freedia’s wealth, early life, music career, and more, this guide has got you covered!
Table of Contents
Early Life
Big Freedia was born “Freddie Ross” on January 28, 1978, in New Orleans, Louisiana. At a young age, Big Freedia started singing and learned the piano in his local Baptist church.
His talent showed at an early age, which earned him a spot in the church’s choir group. This is one of the main musical influences on Big Freedia’s career.
In addition to the church choir, Big Freedia also stated that he was influenced by his mother’s artistic taste, being a huge fan of artists like Patti LaBelle.
In fact, Big Freedia stated in an interview that one of his favorite songs growing up was Patti Labelle’s “When You’ve Been Blessed”.
Growing up, Freddie’s interest in music started to mature and he was inspired by artists of various genres, including Michael Jackson (pop music), Sylvester (disco), as well as the hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa.
Ross directed the choir as early as his high school years. Being on stage from a young age helped him become much more comfortable and overcome stage fright as he grew to become Big Freedia.
Big Freedia’s style and interest in bounce music in 1998 were mainly influenced by Katey Red, a drag queen that lived a few blocks away from his house.
Ross began his career as a backup singer and dancer in Red’s performances. That’s also the time when he picked “Big Freedia” and “Queen Diva” as his stage names.
- Big Freedia was influenced by his friend calling him “Freedia”
- Queen Diva was influenced by a club that his mothers had called “Diva”
Career
Now that you know about Queen Diva’s early life, let’s have a quick look at some of the biggest influences on Freedia’s wealth:
Music Industry
The music industry has the biggest influence on Big Freedia’s net worth.
He began his professional career in 1999 with the release of his debut singles “An Ha, Oh Yeah”, “Gin ‘N My System”, and “Rock Around the Clock”. It wasn’t until 2003 that Big Freedia released his debut studio album “Queen Diva”.
Although Big Freedia started gaining mainstream attention in the early 2010s, Ross’s local success started to show, as he released his second album “Big Freedia Hitz Vol. 1”.
After successful tours and collaborations in 2010, his album started showing up on the US Billboard Chart.
Big Freedia’s second album continued earning various hip-hop awards for the following few years.
His voice was featured in Beyonce’s 2016 single “Formation” and her 2016 World Tour by the same name, which was filmed in New Orleans.
In 2017, Big Freedia released a single called “Dive” featuring the New Orleans rapper Mannie Fresh.
Big Freedia signed his first major record deal in 2018 with Asylum Records. He released multiple singles and has been featured with other artists since then.
Live Performances
Another major source of income for Big Freedia was live performances. In fact, Big Freedia has been performing live in his home state since 1999.
Big Freedia performed in several venues, including nightclubs, disco clubs, strip clubs, parties, and more.
Not only that, but even after gaining mainstream exposure, Big Freedia continued to perform inside and outside New Orleans. Big Freedia also performed on Tours and TV shows, including Jimmy Kimmel Live Show.
Television
Although not as relevant as his musical career, Big Freedia also appeared in several tv shows, mostly as himself.
The most notable one is Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce, which is a 6 episode reality TV show about him, airing from 2013 to 2017.
However, he also appeared in other roles, such as Dixie in “Heart, Baby!” and Tam in “When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story”.
The most recent appearance of Big Freedia on TV is the reality TV show College Hill: Celebrity Edition as himself.
The case includes other names like Ray J, NeNe Leakes, Stacey Dash, and Lamar Odom.
Local Business
Big Freedia also owns and operates a few business ventures that are located in his home city.
This includes a party planning business as well as an interior design business in New Orleans with notable clientele that includes multiple public figures in the city.
Books
Another source of income for Big Freedia is the book “Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva!”, which he co-authored with Nicole Balin in 2015.
This one is an autobiography book that walks you through the professional and personal life of the bounce music icon.
Gender and Lifestyle
Big Freedia’s gender is one of her fans’ biggest sources of confusion. However, Freddie Ross has clarified this issue in a recent interview stating that he is not transgender.
Instead, he is an openly gay man who believes in the fluidity of the gender spectrum. He refers to himself as “he”, but he also doesn’t mind when he is referred to as “she”.
Big Freedia’s Nominations and Awards
Big Freedia’s unique style and music have earned him plenty of nominations throughout his career.
One of the earliest mainstream awards that he earned was “Best Hip Hop/Rap Artist” and “Best Emerging Artist” in 2011 Best of the Beat Awards. He also led a New York crowd to set a Guinness World Record for Twerking.
As for nominations, he was nominated for Queerty Awards’ “Rising Diva” and “Twerker of the Year”.
Big Freedia Net Worth 2023
As of May 2023, Big Freedia has a net worth of around $4 million.
The hip-hop star’s main sources of income are his music career as well as live performances and tours since the late 1990s.
He also ventured out into several local businesses to improve his financial situation after his financial legal troubles back in 2016.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Did Big Freedia get married?
As a gay man, Big Freedia has dated several men, although he didn’t talk about them much.
One of the longest relationships that he got into was with a man named Devon, which lasted for over 10 years.
In 2017, it was announced that Big Freedia is engaged and soon to be married to his Houstun-based fiance. However, the marriage ultimately didn’t go through for unknown reasons.
When was Big Freedia shot?
It was reported that Big Freedia was shot back in 2005, which raised his awareness about gun violence in his community and led to the 2020 documentary “Freedia Got a Gun”.
In 2022, Devon Walker, one of Big Freedia’s mentees that was featured in the documentary was shot and killed.
Is Big Freedia still on probation?
Big Freedia is not on probation anymore, as his probation sentence ended one year earlier in August 2018.
Big Freedia Pleaded guilty to a government theft charge in 2016. However, after asking the judge to reduce the sentence from 3 years to 2, the appeal was accepted, and Big Freedia announced the news in a tearful video on his Instagram.
What’s Big Freedia doing now?
Although the bounce icon has not revealed any recent information about his future albums and music projects, Big Freedia is still active in terms of live performances.
Currently, the bounce star has 7 concerts and tours planned in 3 countries.
Key Takeaways
Love Yourself and Enjoy Life
As you can see, Big Freedia is a true example of embracing oneself regardless of all the flaws and problems that he has gone through in his life.
The bounce icon is open about his sexuality/gender and never lets it become a hurdle in his career.
Even after he got shot in 2005, he mustered his courage and started performing once again. He also enjoys life without complications and doesn’t mind taking on new challenges and only cares about what he thinks of himself.
Diversify Your Sources of Income
Although Big Freedia has a decent career as a hip-hop and bounce music artist, you can easily notice that he didn’t like keeping all his eggs in one basket.
Today, Freddie Ross is not only a successful singer but also a reality TV star, book author, and even a businessman.
In the previously mentioned interview, Big Freedia reflected on his Federal fraud charge and legal troubles, which taught him the importance of getting his finances in order.
Give Back to Your Community
Lastly, despite gaining national recognition in the early 2010s, Big Freedia has always been loyal to his local community in New Orleans.
He also mentions his hometown in many interviews along with his fond memories of his childhood and neighbors.