T-Pain resurrects Freaknik – as an Adult Swim cartoon

Anyone who lived in Atlanta in the 1990s knew it well. In the early 1980s, Freaknik started out as a modest gathering of African-American students during the third week of April. But by 1994, it had mushroomed into a city-wide spring-break party with traffic jams, men videotaping booty-shaking on car roofs, and debauchery galore.

With no warning, the party would hit major thoroughfares, creating snarls for hours. Folks who weren’t even in college started causing trouble. There were cases of sexual assault and drunken lewd behavior. Residents rebelled and the city government subsequently squelched the fun with aggressive police patrols and traffic stops. By 2000, Freaknik was more or less dead.

The entire situation became a bit of a racial football. Some people have warm memories of Freaknik, especially in its earlier, more halcyon days. But others still blanch when they think about the inconveniences it caused. The latter group probably won’t be inclined to watch this cartoon. And since it’s on Adult Swim, it’s obviously targeting a more mature audience.

The special features T-Pain as the “ghost of Freaknik.” Fellow rap star Lil Wayne voices a man named Jesus. (Some Web reports erroneously say he’s actually playing Christ. Not true.) Plotwise, Lil Wayne’s character advises four guys who are coming to Atlanta to compete in a battle of the bands contest during Freaknik, according to Adult Swim spokesman Tim De Claire.

Adult Swim released a promo last year. The special was supposed to come out in the fall of 2009 but was pushed back to the spring. After some feedback. I decided to pull the embedded video. It’s a little risque. If you want to see it on YouTube,

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