The Unforgettable Chaos Of ‘Freaknik’ Has Gen X Folks SHOOK As Hulu’s Documentary Looms

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The upcoming Hulu documentary about Freaknik has many Gen X attendees on edge, fearing embarrassing footage will be revealed to the world. Even those who didn’t attend the infamous event are curious about what the project will uncover. More inside…

The anticipation is high among Gen X attendees of Freaknik as Hulu gears up to release a documentary about the notorious event. Freaknik was a defining moment in Atlanta’s cultural history and there are tons of stories about what actually went down during the event, which was an annual spring break festival in Atlanta, Georgia. It was primarily attended by students from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

For many, the fear of embarrassing footage being revealed to the world has them on edge. But it’s not just those who attended the event that are curious about what the documentary will uncover, even those who didn’t attend are eagerly waiting to see what the project will reveal about this cultural phenomenon. Even their children and those who have heard the legends of the event’s raucous years are hilariously fearful of family members’ raunchy “tootsie rolls” being broadcast to the world.

A viral TikTok video by a user named Tina is capturing the concerns of many people in their late 40s and early 50s in Atlanta, who fear being featured in the upcoming Freaknik documentary and the embarrassment that may follow. While Tina herself isn’t concerned about her own appearance in the film, she recalls avoiding the video cameras that were ubiquitous at the event.

“I’m just praying that Jesus be a fence. I’m praying that Jesus just be a big, tall privacy fence. That’s my prayer this Easter, this Good Friday,” she said in the video that blew up over the weekend.

“That’s my prayer. I will say this, though, I will say this… like when they would bring out those video cameras and start recording, I immediately removed myself from that situation. If you see ya girl in the documentary, hey, man, at least I’m fully clothed. At least all my clothes is on. That’s all I got. That’s the best I got. But yeah, y’all, they ‘bout to put our business out in the street. Some of us might be on TV, so get your parental controls together,” she continued.

Watch her viral video below:

Many are joking that their mothers and aunties are probably worried about embarrassing footage being revealed. Peep some reactions below:

However, the notorious Freaknik parties of the ’90s were not all fun and games. The event reportedly became infamous for drawing crime and debauchery to Atlanta. At its peak, the event saw looting, robberies, assaults, and sexual assaults. The rise of public manhandling of women became a worrisome trend during the event.

Watch the clip below that shows a debate between men and women about how “provocative clothing” doesn’t automatically mean it’s an invitation to have sex. Watch the clip below:

Freaknik became a victim of its own success as the festival grew in size and notoriety. The resulting crime and debauchery forced city leaders to take action, leading to the eventual crackdown and dissolution of the event in the late ’90s. Attempts to revive Freaknik have been made in recent years, but to no avail. Hulu’s upcoming documentary, “Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told,” promises to uncover the full story of this once-infamous spring break festival.

The festival was eventually shut down in 1999. However, since 2019, there have been attempts to turn the festival back into a popular event.

The Hulu doc is being produced by famed music producer Jermaine Dupri and Miami artist Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell. The show asks the question: can the magic of Freaknik be revived 40 years later?

Variety reports:

“Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told” “recounts the rise and fall of a small Atlanta HBCU picnic that exploded into an influential street party and spotlighted ATL as a major cultural stage,” per Hulu’s description. “Can the magic of Freaknik be brought back 40 years later?

Executive producers include showrunner Geraldine L. Porras and director P Frank Williams, as well as Jermaine Dupri, Luther Campbell, Peter Bittenbender and Melissa Cooper for Mass Appeal, Eric Tomosunas for Swirl Films, Terry Ross and Alex Avant. Nikki Byles and Jay Allen are also producers.

While Hulu has yet to release an official press release or trailer for its upcoming Freaknik documentary, it is expected to be released in 2024, which would coincide with the 40th anniversary of the 1994 Freaknik celebration. This year was particularly well-documented, thanks to the work of photographer Shelia Turner, and the fact that the Hulu description specifically references the anniversary suggests a possible release date in mid-April 2024. However, we will have to wait for further announcements from Hulu to know for sure.

 

 

BONUS:

A viral video of Kanye West allegedly at Freaknik has recently surfaced on social media, but some online detectives are questioning its authenticity. In the video, Kanye is filming a a woman twerking, but the watermark on the video says “Freaknik Online,” leading some to wonder if it was actually from the original Freaknik festival.

However, there are several clues that suggest the video may be from a different event.

The original Freaknik was shut down in 1999, yet Kanye is wearing his iconic polo and jeans combo from the College Dropout era, and the men around him are dressed in tall tees and baggy shorts, which were more popular in the early 2000s. In addition, the type of cell phone Ye is using to film the video was not widely available in the late 90s. As a result, some Twitter users have speculated that the footage may be from a later event at Texas Kappa Beach.

Check out the video above for yourself.

Photo: Associated Press

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