The infamous Atlanta college festival known as Freaknik will return to the spotlight in an upcoming Hulu documentary, almost 40 years after its 1983 launch.
“Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told” will chronicle “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 the project’s description. “Can the magic of Freaknik be brought back 40 years later?” it reads.
The documentary– which is yet to have a release date– is being directed by filmmaker P. Frank Williams. Some of the film’s co-producers are Atlanta hip-hop legend Jermaine Dupri, Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, Peter Bittenbender, Melissa Cooper, Eric Tomosunas, Terry Ross, and Alex Avant.
When the news broke earlier this month, people on social media had a lot to say about what may come to light and how past Freaknik shenanigans might catch up with the present.
Some posts were hilarious takes on potential reactions to the documentary and the controversy it may stir up.
And of course we have to include the ESSENCE shout out.
Other posts had a more serious tone calling out slut shaming and the event’s history of sexual assault.
Gen X says they’re glad there wasn’t social media back then, but now they get a whole documentary.
Either way, we’re looking forward to what it teaches– and reveals–about this renowned era of modern Black history.