Hulu’s documentary Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told premiered on Thursday (March 21). The film’s streaming debut sparked a mix of jokes and serious reflection, making Freaknik a trending topic on X (formerly known as Twitter).
The Freaknik documentary featured the contributions of multiple Hip-Hop artists. Jermaine Dupri, 21 Savage and 2 Live Crew’s Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell served as the film’s executive producers. Lil Jon, Killer Mike, CeeLo Green and Too $hort were among the notable names who appeared in the documentary.
Freaknik: The Wildest Party Next Told was directed by P. Frank Williams. The director explained his approach to the film in an interview with CNN.
“I’m a documentarian of Black culture, and I wanted to give the vegetables and the candy,” Williams said. “I think a lot of people are in love with the candy, which is the turn up at the street parties, the wilding out on the freeway, the going crazy in the middle of the street at Freaknik. I wanted to do a much more layered look.”
The documentary explored Freaknik’s evolution from a simple college cookout in the ‘80s to wild festivities that consumed Atlanta before getting shut down in the late ‘90s. The film aimed to show why Freaknik developed an almost mythical reputation over the years without ignoring the disturbing parts of its history.
“In telling the full story of Freaknik, to omit the sexual assault and to omit the things that did cause harm is not allowing the full story to be told,” producer Jay Allen said. “So we just wanted to make sure that as you watch this, that no other documentary about Freaknik ever has to be told.”
Check out some of the reactions to Hulu’s Freaknik documentary below.