Exclusive: Big Freedia's Hurricane Katrina Survival Story From Her Memoir

FUSE TV - Exclusive: Big Freedia's Hurricane Katrina Survival Story From Her Memoir

Between the rise of twerking, New Orleans Bounce music and her own hit series here on Fuse, music icon Big Freedia's star has rocketed in the past three years. On the verge of becoming a household name, the New Orleans native just released a new autobiography, Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva!, written by Freedia with co-author Nicole Balin.

While Freedia's popular docuseries have covered the rapper-singer's recent personal and professional struggles and successes over three TV seasons (a fourth season premieres this fall), the Queen of Bounce has rarely talked about her childhood or early years in the New Orleans music scene. God Save the Queen Diva! lets Freedia tell her story on her terms.

Next month marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the costliest natural disaster in American history and one of the nation's deadliest hurricanes on record. In 2005, Freedia and some of her family decided to stick it out and got trapped in the heart of the storm and its tragic aftermath. In this exclusive excerpt from her book, Freedia recounts the first terrifying night. Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva! is available now.

Big Freedia & Adie Share Their Resilience Following Hurricane Katrina

3m

Big Freedia & Adie Share Their Resilience Following Hurricane Katrina

Big Freedia

21m

Big Freedia

The Exclusive Premiere of Big Freedia's New Music Video, "BigFoot"

3m

The Exclusive Premiere of Big Freedia's New Music Video, "BigFoot"

Big Freedia Means Business

Big Freedia Means Business

Big Freedia Means Business

21m

Big Freedia Means Business

Big Freedia: Queen Of Bounce

Big Freedia: Queen Of Bounce

Big Freedia Meets Her Puppet: Hollywood Puppet Shitshow First Date

1m

Big Freedia Meets Her Puppet: Hollywood Puppet Shitshow First Date

Freedia Gets Her Groove Back

21m

Freedia Gets Her Groove Back

Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce - Trailer

1m

Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce - Trailer

Big Freedia’s Twerk of Art

20m

Big Freedia’s Twerk of Art

Amanda Cerny and Big Freedia Sh!tshow

20m

Amanda Cerny and Big Freedia Sh!tshow

Freedia's Woes

21m

Freedia's Woes

Freedia's Manager Drops a Unexpected Bomb on Her...

3m

Freedia's Manager Drops a Unexpected Bomb on Her...

Freedia Takes Manhattan

20m

Freedia Takes Manhattan

Fuse+ is the Home for Big Freedia Means Business, Sex Sells, Made From Scratch & More!

30s

Fuse+ is the Home for Big Freedia Means Business, Sex Sells, Made From Scratch & More!

Freedia's Twerk On Washington

21m

Freedia's Twerk On Washington

Who Will be Cut from Team Freedia to Save Finances?

2m

Who Will be Cut from Team Freedia to Save Finances?

Is Freedia Stretching Herself too Thin?

3m

Is Freedia Stretching Herself too Thin?

Puppet Hot Tub Aftershow Episode 3: Big Freedia and Amanda Cerny Step Into Wilmer's Hot Tub

7m

Puppet Hot Tub Aftershow Episode 3: Big Freedia and Amanda Cerny Step Into Wilmer's Hot Tub

Will Devon Joining Team Freedia be an Issue?

2m

Will Devon Joining Team Freedia be an Issue?

Shenseea Shares Her Rags to Riches Story & Cooks A Native Jamaican Dish

8m

Shenseea Shares Her Rags to Riches Story & Cooks A Native Jamaican Dish

Big Boi

20m

Big Boi

Bella's Story

1h 7m

Bella's Story

A Big Splash

21m

A Big Splash

Operation Big Bear

23m

Operation Big Bear

A Soldiers Story

24m

A Soldiers Story

True Dating Stories

True Dating Stories

Embarassing Sex Stories

1h 3m

Embarassing Sex Stories

Big Bad Voodoo Finale

21m

Big Bad Voodoo Finale

The Big Break-Up

21m

The Big Break-Up

Embarrassing Sex Stories - Trailer

1m

Embarrassing Sex Stories - Trailer

Which Drum Corps Section Would Survive The Zombie Apocalypse

1m

Which Drum Corps Section Would Survive The Zombie Apocalypse

True Dating Stories - S2 Trailer

1m

True Dating Stories - S2 Trailer

True Dating Stories - S3 Trailer

1m

True Dating Stories - S3 Trailer

Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story

1h 22m

Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story

True Dating Stories - S1 Trailer

1m

True Dating Stories - S1 Trailer

The Canvas LA: Spotlight How Rhianna Went From Flea Markets to Her Jewelry Line, Vidakush

9m

The Canvas LA: Spotlight How Rhianna Went From Flea Markets to Her Jewelry Line, Vidakush

Nicole Scherzinger & Her Sister Cook Her Family's Favorite Meal

2m

Nicole Scherzinger & Her Sister Cook Her Family's Favorite Meal

Big Trouble In Little Chinese Restaurant

9m

Big Trouble In Little Chinese Restaurant

The Story Behind Fluffy's Food Adventures

1m

The Story Behind Fluffy's Food Adventures

True Dating Stories - S3: First Look

30s

True Dating Stories - S3: First Look

Big Bear 2: The Wrath of Tito

23m

Big Bear 2: The Wrath of Tito

One Big Happy Family: Season 2 Trailer

2m

One Big Happy Family: Season 2 Trailer

Made From Scratch

Made From Scratch

Take An Exclusive Tour of San Antonio With Rick Gutierrez

3m

Take An Exclusive Tour of San Antonio With Rick Gutierrez

Nopalito On Telling Raw & Authentic Stories Through Photography

7m

Nopalito On Telling Raw & Authentic Stories Through Photography

A Sign From Above

22m

A Sign From Above

JLO: From the Block

59m

JLO: From the Block

King Keraun Learns To Make Bread From Scratch From A Baker

8m

King Keraun Learns To Make Bread From Scratch From A Baker

Bambiana & Her Mom Practice Positive Affirmations

1m

Bambiana & Her Mom Practice Positive Affirmations

Grilling Tips From G Fella

4m

Grilling Tips From G Fella

Made From Scratch: First Look

1m

Made From Scratch: First Look

Gina Rodriguez Rips Her Pants & Gets Discovered

8m

Gina Rodriguez Rips Her Pants & Gets Discovered

Tina Shows Off Her Most Glamorous Looks

46s

Tina Shows Off Her Most Glamorous Looks

Made From Scratch S5: First Look

1m

Made From Scratch S5: First Look

Made From Scratch S4: First Look

1m

Made From Scratch S4: First Look

Marissa Challenges Her Mom To A $50 Bet

1m

Marissa Challenges Her Mom To A $50 Bet

Casey Gives Her Girlfriend A Motorcycle Riding Rundown

3m

Casey Gives Her Girlfriend A Motorcycle Riding Rundown

Tina Shows Off Her Impressive Ear-Piercing Technique

1m

Tina Shows Off Her Impressive Ear-Piercing Technique

Chika On Building Community Through Her Music (Extended)

14m

Chika On Building Community Through Her Music (Extended)

What Do I Do

41m

What Do I Do

It’s Soul Food

20m

It’s Soul Food

Kash Doll & Her Mom Recreate Their Great-Grandmothers Recipe

2m

Kash Doll & Her Mom Recreate Their Great-Grandmothers Recipe

Casey Brings Her Hosting Skills To iCandy Nightclub

1m

Casey Brings Her Hosting Skills To iCandy Nightclub

Xristina's Hilarious Favorite Moment From Season 1

41s

Xristina's Hilarious Favorite Moment From Season 1

Nya's Twerktastic Favorite Moment From Season 1

54s

Nya's Twerktastic Favorite Moment From Season 1

Bionka's Wild Favorite Moment From Season 1

1m

Bionka's Wild Favorite Moment From Season 1

Bambiana's Touching Favorite Moment From Season 1

1m

Bambiana's Touching Favorite Moment From Season 1

LA's Emotional Favorite Moment From Season 1

1m

LA's Emotional Favorite Moment From Season 1

All the Best Moments From Saturday Morning Fever

2m

All the Best Moments From Saturday Morning Fever

Get In Formation

20m

Get In Formation

Facing The Truth

20m

Facing The Truth

The King and Queen of  Bounce

21m

The King and Queen of Bounce

Hollywood Puppet Sh!tshow First Date: Amber Rose Meets Her Puppet

1m

Hollywood Puppet Sh!tshow First Date: Amber Rose Meets Her Puppet

Dancin' On Air Producer Once Told Madonna to Clean Her Mess

1m

Dancin' On Air Producer Once Told Madonna to Clean Her Mess

Sin City Shakedown

41m

Sin City Shakedown

Behind the Scenes: The Making of "Made From Scratch"

2m

Behind the Scenes: The Making of "Made From Scratch"

School House Bounce

21m

School House Bounce

Manager Shake Up

20m

Manager Shake Up

Just Be Free

21m

Just Be Free

Old School Bounce

20m

Old School Bounce

Hollywood Puppet Sh!tshow First Date: Anjelah Johnson-Reyes Meets Her Puppet

1m

Hollywood Puppet Sh!tshow First Date: Anjelah Johnson-Reyes Meets Her Puppet

Trouble In Paradise

21m

Trouble In Paradise

World Meets Bounce

21m

World Meets Bounce

The Best Workouts from Season 1 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

2m

The Best Workouts from Season 1 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

Chapter 3 Goes From Tagging Graffiti to An Artist & Producer

9m

Chapter 3 Goes From Tagging Graffiti to An Artist & Producer

The Craziest Moments from Season 2 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

1m

The Craziest Moments from Season 2 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

The Craziest Moments from Season 1 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

1m

The Craziest Moments from Season 1 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

The Fiercest Workouts From Season 2 of Fluffy Breaks Even

1m

The Fiercest Workouts From Season 2 of Fluffy Breaks Even

Clandestine Meeting

21m

Clandestine Meeting

The Best Workouts from Season 2 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

2m

The Best Workouts from Season 2 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

The Pilot

21m

The Pilot

Dream Team of Bounce

21m

Dream Team of Bounce

The Grind Never Stops When for the Queen Diva

2m

The Grind Never Stops When for the Queen Diva

Where The Hell Do We Go From Here With Amara La Negra

16m

Where The Hell Do We Go From Here With Amara La Negra

King Keraun Learns How To Crochet A Face Mask From A Pro Knitter

8m

King Keraun Learns How To Crochet A Face Mask From A Pro Knitter

Will Devon Deliver & Prove Everyone Wrong?

3m

Will Devon Deliver & Prove Everyone Wrong?

Diva’s Day In Court

20m

Diva’s Day In Court

Goodbye Vera

21m

Goodbye Vera

Twerkloose

20m

Twerkloose