Hulu’s Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told has gone viral before its release. The popular event of the 1990s in Atlanta for young Black people is mostly now remembered as a legend and the wildest party in modern Southern history. When the film was announced, it went viral due to the fear of now well-established adults and parents having footage of them acting carelessly in their early 20s seeing the light of day in 2024. But the actual documentary is more than a simple Black Project X-inspiration non-fiction tale. It’s a real-life example of what being Black in America looks like.
Recently, the film’s producers, Jay Allen and Nikki Byles, stopped by rolling out to discuss the reasons behind the production.
Do you believe there’s a difference between Black people and the n-word?
Jay Allen: Yeah. I think those are two different types of people, but it’s still a term of endearment. It’s weird. It’s a weird thing.
Nikki Byles: They are absolutely two different types of people.
That was something I took away from the documentary–that Black people started this fun thing–
JA: –and then n-words destroyed it.
NB: Yup.
How did you all capture the essence of Freaknik without it coming across as corny?
NB: I think having the D.C. metro club in it [made this documentary stand out because] you can’t tell the story without them. Having them come explain this side lets you know how it came about.
Also, getting the best of the best in terms of talent. Like the people that we got, you can’t tell the story without them.
JA: And, respectfully, nothing we are going to do is going to be corny. When we realized we wanted to tell the story, we took so many years to put the story together to make sure we got it right.
Nikki and I conceptually had the idea, but adding Uncle Luke and getting all of his stories and Jermaine [Dupri] and getting all of his stories and then branching off to his circle … we knew we would get it right by piecing all of those things together.
Spoiler alert, but near the end of the documentary, Marc Lamont Hill said Black people don’t need a party to be unified, they just need to be together. Then, there was b-roll of Black Lives Matter protests. Why?
JA: To show unity. Whether we’re uniting over something positive or negative. Black people uniting is still a beautiful thing.
NB: No matter what the reason is.
So, you all are saying to look beyond the surface of comparing Freaknik to Black Lives Matter protests?
NB: Definitely look beyond the surface, because we definitely didn’t do that.
Raury just released a meditation album, so did Lil Jon a month ago, André 3000’s flute album, and Frank Ski is releasing a nature album, as well. Why do you think Black men are pivoting toward a more peaceful sound?
JA: Black men, we deserve peace.
I don’t just think it’s an Atlanta thing; it’s a nationwide thing, but in Atlanta, when I think of peace, this is such a chaotic place to live.
Traffic is crazy. Brunch is crazy. Everything is to the extreme. We have metal detectors in the mall. At some point, you have to have a little nugget of peace.
Do you think Black men are doing a better job of protecting Black women in 2024?
NB: I’ve seen them trying. I can say that, but I can’t say yes.
How can Black men better support Black women?
NB: Treat all these women like your mama. You don’t want anything to happen to your mama. So, for the person next to you, do the same thing.
