exclusive premiere: big freedia joins liberation house in a celebration of civil rights icon ella baker on “ella baker shaker”

“We have to recognize who came before us,” says Big Freedia. “There’s been lots of discussion about justice and healing. Sometimes joy gets lost in all of it.”

Partnering with Jonathan Lykes and Liberation House, the latest from Big Freedia is a celebration of the life and struggle of the legendary Ella Baker. The song blends New Orleans bounce with history, mixing past and present in a way that reminds us that the past is ever-present. It’s a burst of joy celebrating an icon who was committed to teaching and organizing the younger generations. The new single hails from a compilation all about celebrating Black Joy called The Black Joy Experience vol 2: Comrade. The full comp drops on Feb 18th.

Liberation House describes its mission statement as envisioning “a world where Black and Brown, Queer and Trans people have safe houses to experience complete political, economic and social freedom, and no longer experience harm, suffering or any form of systemic oppression.”

Learn more about Liberation House at www.liberationhouse.org and follow Big Freedia @bigfreedia.

Catch Big Freedia on tour this spring:

February 19, New Orleans, LA at Shorty Gras
March 15, Miami, FL @ Gramps
March 16, Gainesville, FL @ High Dive
March 17, Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
March 19, Charleston, SC at Pour House
April 7, Santa Ana, CA at The Observatory *
April 8, San Francisco, CA at August Hall *
April 8, San Jose, CA at The Ritz*
May 6, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
May 7, New Orleans, LA at Republic +

* with Tank and The Bangas
+ with The Suffers