Big Freedia is one of the most successful crossover stories in New Orleans bounce—a turbo-speed, call-and-response, utterly filthy dance music that’s rocked parties in the city since the 1990s—and, some might say, one of the most unlikely. In the gay-averse world of bounce, Big Freedia is male by birth but female by identity. You know how the kids say “no homo?” Freedia’s motto is “go homo.” Along with drag artist and MC Katey Red, Freedia is a pioneer of “sissy bounce,” a queer take on the aggressively male, heterosexual genre that, unlike hip-hop success stories Lil Wayne and Master P, never quite made it out of New Orleans. Why Freedia? Perhaps because she’s the hardest working chick in the biz, often playing multiple shows a day; perhaps because a New York Times Magazine contributor latched on to her last year, penning a fascinating profile that surely contributed to her present semi-fame; or perhaps it’s because there’s something in Freedia’s big, beefy voice—particularly on her recent release on Scion A/V—that wants to uplift women, even as it barks at them to shake their asses.

Big Freedia performs with Javelin and DJ Ed the Metaphysical at 8 p.m. at DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. $15.