1. NOLA broke musical ground before anywhere else in the country.
2. Mardi Gras is as wild as it gets pretty much anywhere in the world.
Nothing is crazier than a day dedicated to capping off an entire SEASON known as "Carnival." The vibes of extreme freedom traditionally celebrated on Fat Tuesday are channeled in Bounce music to the core.
3. New Orleans has always been a place where you can be whoever you want to be.
The history of self-expression in the Crescent City allows people to come alive more than anywhere else. The freedom to gender-bend in performance began with R&B singer Bobby Marchan in the '50s, paving the way for Sissy Bounce and rappers like Katey Red to grow in notoriety.
4. Beats in the streets = beats in the square = beats in your ears!
Drum circles in Congo Square have allowed the rhythmically inclined to congregate regularly in the Crescent City since the 18th century. Once an artistic refuge for freed slaves, the space has been a musical hotbed of New Orleans for hundreds of years, inspiring everything from fashion to contemporary musical composition thanks to its history of community and experimental performance.
5. Caaaaaaash Money.
6. Community is the core of the city.
7. And there's an entire street dedicated to music.
Sure the bumps in the night happen all along Bourbon Street, but when you're looking for musical heat, look no further than Frenchmen Street, where music is seemingly booming out of every single bar 24/7. The ability to easily start new scenes among such supportive stages has allowed Bounce to truly flourish in recent years.
8. New Orleans STARTED twerking.
9. There's never NOT a reason to have a festival.
New Orleans is celebrating ALL kinds of culture, all year round, and music is only a part of the fold. Multi-day festivals happen every weekend to commemorate everything from literature, to Old World traditions still alive in the United States' first port, to specific neighborhoods in the city such as the Tremé. This openness has allowed Bounce to prevail and be appreciated in such a rich cultural melting pot.
10. In a town laden with catchphrases, what's a few more?
Tune in to Fuse on October 2 at 11/10c to explore the kingdom built by Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce and all the magic of New Orleans in her music!
